Reviews (page 7 of 8)
Ruby doesn’t like you Don, just let it go man. I’m not convinced, Maxine likes you either, she’s not holding out til grad, she’s just doesn’t want you bc you make weird Muzak. Green Flower Street was good everything else gear was a tough listen. 2 stars
2.5/5
I really like the music. You can hear that the musicianship and production in every song. The problem is the lyrics. It's just a lot of yuppie melancholy and that's not for me. I'd love to have a version that had no lyrics as is this is not for me. 1.75/5.
Polished, overproduced pop jazz. Meh. Not really noteworthy at all.
Não gostei muito não, me deu vontade de escutar Steely Dan e não Donald Fagen. Não tenho nem faixas para destacar por que é um album bem sem graça, na grande parte da minha escuta eu prefiria 1000 vezes que tivesse somente o instrumental sem o vocal, a banda tem seu talento mas é ofuscado pelo cara que tem a voz que não acompanha a melodia, deixando esse blues esquisito e bem cafona (deixar o blues mais cafona ainda parabéns zé). Recomendo para ninguém que tenha paciencia ou o minimo de respeito ao seus ouvidos, é foda como um album desses pode ser colocado tão alto assim pelos criticos, americanos no caso, onde o jazz concerteza tem mais espaço do que um samba. Passarei longe de quaisquer outro album solo do meu mano Fagen, que fique somente no Steely Dan e nunca mais invente de fazer outro album murcho como esse.
Very eh
As another reviewer so succinctly wrote: "It's music." I concur and rate it the same as that reviewer did.
Ok
Didn't leave much of an impression
Bland
High 2 but a creepy hybrid of Manilow, Hall & Oates, and ELO doesn't come off for me despite decent moments
Feels very 80s, vaguely familiar, and yet not that special.
A couple songs stand out but reissued bland steely dan record.
Elevator music
Today I found out I've gone my whole life thinking Steeleye Span and Steely Dan were the same band. This album is by Donald Fagan, who was highly connected with the latter and perhaps has never even heard of the former. This album is full of beautifully produced songs. But they are also kind of vapid and bland. I don't feel Ruby Baby is truly about a wonderful woman; this version is about saxophones, piano fills and studio tweaking. This is in huge contrast to the Drifters' original, which is full of charm and really feels like a friend telling you about their exciting new catch. This trend continues with Maxine (yes I get it, you can play the piano and sing in harmony). New Frontier skirts dangerously close to muzak. And that's kind of what this is: generic background listening for a fairly bland hotel bar. Fine.
Just seems so cheesy....!
Not a fan unfortunately it does nothing for me.
I don't mind me a bit of yacht rock but this got pretty sleepy
Cheesemonger.
fagen tedious
Well-produced jazz-pop. Impressive variety of instrumentation. The less structured bits are delightful but some tracks wear out their welcome with bland lyrical repetition. It was difficult to really connect emotionally though because of the lack of emotional in the vocals, and the mixing didn’t do any favors here either…was straining at times to discern lyrics. Listened to: on bus to Providence. Favorite track: New Frontier
of mikið easy-listening fyrir minn smekk. ábyggilega voða vel spilað og tekið upp en hálfdautt eitthvað.
Now that your kids are all grown up and off at university, it's just you and the wife at home. Things are comfortable, but dare you admit... uninspired? You're so entwined as a couple that you feel like you've lost some of your own personality. A little bit of your own spark. Time to challenge that! The wife has just taken up a new pilates class, so here's your chance to stay home and have some proper 'me' time. Pull on that sensible cardigan, break out the comfy slippers, and treat yourself to some alone time with Donald Fagen. Cup of tea to match, or pint of bitter if you're feeling a bit saucy. Go on, nod along and let that foot tap in time, be a bit extravagant. You still have a fire burning deep within you.
It doesn't feel like it's a record that stands for anything, just pleasantries that appeal to the most general audience possible.
Dry jazzy strong sounds and interesting album
New music frontier I did not need to experience
p494. 1982. 2 stars. No denying he can knock out a decent tune, and lyrically he's sharp, and technically it's flawless - but it's also soulless, and veers into hipster bar background noise far too often.
Pretty forgettable. Steely Dan is always hit or miss for me. There are some cool arrangements here and there and couple songs are almost good, but some of these songs are just bad songs. Also the synths are really bad 80s cheesy synths.
Perfect for the background Wasn't an actively unpleasant experience Don't want to listen to again
It’s all white, I guess
Move along nothing to see here just a steely Dan album under a different name
Classic Friday album: I've completely forgotten it by the time I come to review it on Monday. I don't think it was much of an anything. Weird harmonies: I bet Jacob Collier likes this album!
The kind of background music you'd have on whilst cooking a casserole. It's fine but dated, just like my Le Creuset.
This was sort of jazzy, which usually endears me to an album, but for some reason it ended up rubbing me the wrong way. Simultaneously boring and a little annoying. Maybe just not the right day for it. 2-3
This album is the most boring thing bro.
This was my first time hearing this. Based on the lovely cover I was expecting something completely different. The first track was great but the rest of it disappoints. Of course, the music is tight and production is close to perfection (which also makes it kinda boring). But I just can’t stand the vocals. This cabaret, Elvis Costello like style annoys me to no end. 2/5
I’m a big steely Dan fan but this bored meeee
Some funky af moments in this for sure, but it seemed to become increasingly unbearable as the album progressed. The title track was the worst by some way.
This is so beige I forgot I was listening to it. How is this in any sort of 'top' list? If you took all the albums ever released and sorted them by any criteria you can possibly think of, this album will miraculously always be exactly in the middle.
Average at best
UGH. I will start by saying I LOVE LOVE LOVE New Frontier and like IGY alright. The rest of this half assed Steely Dan nonsense is terrible.
Rubbish
Over many years, the appeal of Fagen's vocal style faded for me although at one time I was a solid fan of his work with Steely Dan. On balance, I see the appeal of this album and how it fit in so nicely with the era when it was made, but I generally find the jazzy little riffs to be a little to clever, and the vocals with just a little too much easy cheese.
Steely Don? With no Walter to be heard, I actually don’t know what that does to Steely Dan’s signature sound. Donald Fagan sounds pretty similar I guess - horn-heavy jazz pop all too ubiquitous in the early 80s.
why
Somewhat uncharitably, I assumed this might be about half as good as a Steely Dan record. Turns out that assessment might be about right. On a good day 😬
Listen, I like Steely Dan, but there’s no need to push your luck. This is fine, but doesn’t need to be on the list.
An alright album.
Mids yacht rock, kinda boring
Fan fav from days if youth
Boring, cheesy, yacht rock. This album is only 38 minutes long, but it makes that time feel like 5 hours. The fact that people will give this 4 or 5 stars but then dump on Kollaps is proof there is no justice in this universe.
Not really my type of music
Немного безликий музон с претензией и хорошим вокалом. Лучшая песня - I.G.Y..
If you like Steely Dan, then you will like this. I don’t really like Steely Dan
I found this really boring and bland.
yacht rock is like irish folk - best handled 30 minutes at a time
Voice was good, sound was good. Just no clear cut really great song on here.
There is a time and place where only this vibe will do. But it is not now.
I keep turning it up and it keeps getting quieter.
Very generic. It sounded like any movie intro/outro.
“We have steely Dan at home” Something about a turtle neck tucked into light wash jeans at a coffee shop in New York City during autumn
I don't understand how someone writes songs like this with such seemingly random melodies. His music is all vibe/no songs imo.
There's some Steely Dan I dig, but none of it sounds like this. How something can be so competently and articulately arranged and still so insipid is beyond me. I just don't get this type of music, and Fagen is one of the least convincing vocalists I've ever heard. 2/5
Don't you just love it when a member of a well-known band strikes out on their own to stretch their creative wings, free of the constraints imposed by former partners and able to flourish as a solo Artist on an entirely new musical path? Neither does Donald Fagen. It's a Steely Dan record without Walter Becker or cocaine.
Office music
I like Steely Dan a lot, and I'm into the whole vibe of this record. But it's a bit too schmoozy in places. Don't get me wrong, it sounds great on a car stereo at night, and the production is fantastic. I see why it's on the list for sure, being a very early digital recording it was significant. But is it Steely Dan good? I don't think so, but maybe it will grow on me more. Not sure of it adds much to the list that the SD albums don't already.
A big “meh” for me. It’s funny: Steely Dan is often disparaged as being quintessentially “Yacht Rock” but I find their discography for the most part anything but. To me, their music is entirely engaging and complex in all the right ways. Here with Donald’s solo album? Pretty forgettable “Yacht Rock”.
This is smooooth mall music. I'm pretty anti mall.
Llamativo
It's so inoffensive that it's offensive. It's not a bad album; the opener was pretty good, but besides one song, the whole album felt so stagnant. Top 2 Fav: I.G.Y. and The Nightfly Top 3 Worst: most if not all the songs are mid 2.5-2.55/5
Not good
Eh, just sounds like the worst parts of Steely Dan to me.
I am not a big fan of Steely Dan and this is about half as good. 2 stars or D+.
Really wimpy yacht rock that makes Boz Skaggs sound like Black Sabbath. 2 stars.
First listen. Meh.
1. igy - 1.5 2. green - 1 3. ruby - 1.5 4. mazine - 1.5 5. frontier - 1 6. night - 1.5 7. goodbye - 1 8. rain dropz - 1.5
Langweilig, aber nicht per se schlecht. 2,4
Adding lyrics to smooth jazz doesn't make it suck any less
It’s like half a steely Dan record
I like 2 songs on here the rest is indulgent crap.
According to Wikipedia, this album's legacy has very little to do with its music—as in, the compositions, or what these songs about. Instead, its legacy is that it's a favorite among audiophiles. This album was a popular demonstration record for speaker sets. It, especially its opener, has been used to test studio and front-of-the-house systems. I'm sure the only list besides this one where it sits besides PET SOUNDS and SGT. PEPPER'S is EQ's list of the ten best recorded album of all time. Not that any of that matters to me, really, I should say. I'm the furthest thing from an audiophile. I listened to this album on, like, $20-some headphones. I can't tell if something's bricked or clipping unless I'm looking at it. And, generally, as long as what I'm listening to doesn't sound like unmistable **total ass**, I'm fine. I just find it curious that this album's biggest impact was to became a tool for testing speaker quality. 'Cuz listening to the music... Well, it's not bad. And maybe I actually kind of like more than a fair few moments on it? But it's wholly unremarkable; completely inoffensive jazz pop that, at points, sounds like it should be playing the background of a Sega CD pool FMV game. During two different songs, on opposite sides of the album, I yawned out loud, no foolin'. And, y'know, I don't wanna make any assumptions and say I "understand" what pepople are talking about when they say Steely Dan is boring, 'cuz this is from only one member of the group.... But he is, notably, the only currently living member, so... Look, if this thing **is** one of the best recorded albums of all time, then maybe it's been recorded too clean. Y'know? Nobody's doing anything terribly interesting; there's no risks being taken; there's no **edge** to it. It's been polished to be a smooth nugget. And, sure, I can admire and appreciate all the effort that went into getting it that way, but it's not even that shiny. It's there. It's something to fill your time for a moment. And then you move onto something more interesting.
Once I see past the early 80s production and tones, the sub par lyricism, and the insufferable harmonies, I can see some jazz to appreciate. This is not the sound for me.
Jeeze, hope I don't have to listen to this one ever again.
Does one set out to produce music, only to be heard at the dentist office and H&RBlock?
Elevator music but not bad
Boomers bring anything Steely-Dan-related to this list like Sheen brings Ultralord to class in Jimmy Neutron It would be something if this album was unique, but it was just more of the exact same steely Dan sound too >:(
Interesting to finally hear this in its entirety. The entire decade or so I’ve been into headphone/hi-fi gear this is one of THE supposedly legendary albums to listen to because it’s so well recorded/produced. Considering Donald got his start with Steely Dan that’s not surprising to hear based on the band’s recording reputation. The difference? I mostly like Steely Dan albums. Except for a few exceptions like “Green Flower Street” and “The Nightfly”, this was leaning way too much in the Yacht Rock lane for me.
own
When I was growing up and listened to the radio, this is the kind of easy listening music that informed me I'd hit some old people station and to keep searching for a decent one. It's also the kind of music that makes me afraid people can hear my music through my headphones and think I might CHOOSE to be listening to it. Fave Track: New Frontier Rating: 2
This music is nothing offensive and it is good background music. But it's way too overproduced, middle-of-the-road and superficial for my taste. I like the cover and the name of the album at least.
I did not know this album existed and my world has not been changed considerably now I know that it does Just a few days after giving Aja a 5, this solo debut from Fagen is just so naffly 80s I can’t give it any more than a 2. Sick album cover though
Too much polished pop. Didn't hate it, but didn't love it. It's on meh criteria for me.
Takes the fun out of funky. Expected much more with such a cool photo for the album cover.
No thanks.
Schum-Schum Musik - eine Mischung aus Nightfever, Michael Jackson, Swing und Jazz Elementen. Es ist eine öde Hintergrundmusik ohne irgendwelche Dynamik oder Wiedererkennungswerte. Aus diesem Grunde bestehen keinerlei Ambitionen diesen Schum-Schum nochmal zu hören.
Don't know a lot about Steely Dan, or therefore Donald Fagen. Sounds a little too smooth-jazzy for me.
Hitillä sisään, se oli ihan hyvä. Todella juustoista loput. Ei muuta sanottavaa, jätti kylmäksi.
Really didn't care for this. Not to say it was bad, but a little too cheesy for me.
Weirdly both a mix of 50s and 80s. I feel like I should be a fan. But I'm not.
Boring man in a basement music.
Annoying
Extremely middle of the road album. A couple radio friendly hits mixed in with some misses for me.
Never heard of the artist IGY this has aged incredibly poorly, as of 2024 time of this review. Meh 2 star
Billy Joel but he sucks. 1.7
1.9
Day140 - steely dan good , donald fagen solo bad
There's nothing wrong with this album. Clean sound, solid musicianship. It's just boring. Walk Between Raindrops sounds like a collage a cappella group's dream.
It's okay. It's just a bit *too* 80's "adult contemporary" for my taste.
Man this is just really generic sounding pop to me. There's no character or anything interesting to this. Sure it's an easy listen but give me something interesting.
Just like the Steely Dan albums we had really, perfectly fine to listen to but pretty bland. This feels a bit more disco than the Steely Dan stuff, but that doesn't particularly improve it. Don't think we needed this on the list, 2/5.
I'm sure this is considered to be a masterpiece by the kinds of people who are into this kind of thing, but I don't get it.
One day, a fair few years ago, under the guidance of a techie friend, I bought my first stack system, complete with Yamaha amp, Yamaha record deck, Mission speakers, and a Pioneer multi-track CD player. Part of the deal with the CD player was that I could choose 6 CDs from the shop's not so extensive offering. Said friend/techie advisor lept into life, grabbed this album, and said "the clarity of sound and production will blow your mind man". He wasn't wrong. Some 30-40 years later, the production is still there to be enjoyed, but the enthusiasm has waned. Individually, there's some great tracks that will still turn my head when heard whilst sat in a cafe, but a play of the full album just "happens" and then I move on to something that grabs me more.
This is like music where the main character in something dystopian and wanders into a strange idyllic seeming town that ends up not being real or something. Clearly skilled but this almost makes me feel like the world isn't real. It is so far from something like Nina Simone in how it does everything and doesn't get an emotion out of me outside of loose confidence that this guy grew up with money.
It's not bad. Just sonically the only situation I can picture listening to this is on a yacht. I'm trying to rationalize this, I guess guys that go to private music schools need a chance to put out albums that they and their peers can relate to. It was other wordly. It had an uncanny valley feel. I think this is music, but the way it makes me feel sucks.
Cornier and sweeter than corn syrup
Another jazz, saxophone kind of album. Not the best, not the worst. Similar to this very average review
4/10 zzzzz
I feel like I have been on hold
Not much to say. Not my thing.
Started out strong with a bit of nostalgia and then it fell flat and eventually numbing. It just lacked the added energy of Steely Dan, who I like.
Donald Fagen's The Nightfly is a total snoozefest. This album is like listening to a jazz band play elevator music. It's so smooth and mellow that it's almost like a lullaby. If you're looking for something to put you to sleep, this is your album. The lyrics are pretentious and boring, and the music is just plain bland. It's like Fagen is trying to impress everyone with his fancy jazz knowledge, but he's just coming off as a pretentious douche. The only thing that's interesting about this album is the album cover. It's pretty cool, I guess.
This album must have been a product of it's time, as it's aged rather poorly. All in all some ok vibes but the songs all had a similar sound and it doesn't have much replay value. 2/5.
Feel it should be playing in the background of a leisure suit larry game. Some nice tunes and rhythm speaking to someone completely different to me however
The boring part of the 80s. :( Generic, too wordy, relatively boring. I read some of the Global Reviews on this one and have to agree with some- anything that reminds me of department store music in the 90s is not great, haha. Two stars.
I was beginning to think if we were ever going to have an album that I rated lower than 3. This is it. -A few times I was listening to a sitcom theme song that got old for me after the first minute -So many of the songs have a fun jam line underneath but I wish had more evolution -Some of the tracks sound like Pokémon music the way it seems like it’s just looping after a bit -In fact, some Pokémon music is better than this -This album just makes me wish I was listening to Stevie Wonder instead -I do like Maxine a lot though
2% 부족할 때
No es para mi
Wasn’t as big of a fan of this as most of his work with Steely Dan. Technically the music is still great and you can sense the professionalism in it, but it just seems to be missing that special something that makes Steely Dan songs so great.
Basically just watered down Steely Dan. Which makes sense since it’s just one member, but whatever. Why is this here?
Steely Don here to ruin my day. Who told this man he should make solo albums? Overproduced and underwhelming... the boomers need help.
Not my thing really. Undoubted skills on the keys, but I'm not a fan of his voice, and it's all a bit pleasant. I did remember the singles, from the time, but found it dull overall.
Nice enough.
Nah, this ain't it.
Uninspiring Steely Dan. Lacks the jazz element but retains cool factor and melodic devices used in Steely.
First listen Saved 2/8
Light
Not a fan
2/10
Sounds like a bunch of songs that didn’t make earlier albums. I love Steely Dan, so it gets another star. Two stars
Sounds just like Steely Dan but somehow isn't Steely Dan... except for that one song about the radio station.
It’s alright, and has some good songs. The first two or three are pretty good, but it tapers off pretty quickly, and soon everything sounds the same. The songs are also quite long.
I dunno. If you’re into the history and universe of Steely Dan you might find this interesting. I personally didn’t.
jazzy and somewhat interesting but didn't keep my attention throughout
Big fan of Steely Dan over the years, and this album did not disappoint... Sort of like Steely Dan-lite, so a pleasant album - but nothing particularly different from the Steely Dan sound... I see a lot of comments about the album being "overproduced" - but that high-degree of production is a Steely Dan hallmark, so it just is what it is... Best track in my opinion is "New Frontier", and while there is not a bad track on the album, nothing of exceptional goodness really jumped out at me either... Bought this album back in the day, and hadn't listened to it since the 80's - and glad that I did today...
What the hell is going on with this? For the first track, it did not start out well. It's kind as if Fagen had taken Rafferty's Baker Street, taken out the sax and replaced it with replaced with the cheapest of cheapo Casio synths. Added to this, a bit of a UB40 lilting drum and late ELO type vocals. It is genuinely pretty terrible. However, the very next track starts with some godawful I don't even know - and then some really interesting funk happens. The whole rest of the album is like this. It does musically interesting things, but manages to always fail at being interesting, ruined by the pervasive early 80s soft rockiness, which vascilates between unspeakable twee and irredeemably obnoxious. If only a producer had stepped in and told him "no", this could have been a genuinely interesting musical experience. Unfortunately, as it stands, it isn't - and has rightly been consigned to the obscurity of being forgotten and unregsrded. .
Decent elevator music
Very mellow
nice, electronic, a lot of streams but mostly unknown to me.
very distinct sound, a good step outside my usual listening, pleasant
Holy moly! Smoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooth. Probably too smooth for me. Is this smooth jazz? Cocktail jazz? Yacht rock? It's not something I would choose to listen to. But at least I know where this sort of music resides should I want to listen to it ironically. About half way though now, on "New Frontier," and it sort of reminds me of some of the 80s Frank Zappa stuff. Is this what he was taking the piss out of?!
Like when Frank Poncherello lounges at the titty bar
Like Steely Dan, very hit and miss, but here with wayyyy more misses. Only the first track worth saving. Disappointing
Felt very generic, in less than 24 hours I’d forgotten that I had listened to it. Slightly jazzy, but nothing special. 2/5.
alkoi todella hyvin. sitten aloin vihaamaan äärettömästi donaldin , herran ääntä. hyi vittu. hyi saatana. ei millään tavalla subjektiivinen tai vastaa oman päiväni kokemuksia. täysi paskaa musiikkia haista vittu steely dan ehkö huonoin bändin nimi koskaan ja donald fagen aivan kurainen nimi ihmiselle, ja vielä kurkusta tulee pelkkää paskaa i.g.y
Just overly slick jazz noodling and crooner-y lyrics. No standouts.
Reminds me of my club penguin days. It's pretty chill.
Elevator music. Don't know why the album cover is so serious.
I hate yacht Rock. I hate Steely Dan. I hate the music of Steely Dan's individual members. I hate most popular music from the USA in the 80s. I hate this album.
Possibly the jeweish album of all time.
Donald Fagen’s first solo effort after the end of his band Steely Dan, “The Nightfly” is oh-so-clean, oh-so-clever, and oh-so-dull. The 80’s had arrived, and with them, Steely Dan had burned and dried out in the sun. Reduced to its core duo of Fagen and Walter Becker, recruiting a roster of session musicians and functioning as studio-only, a parting of the ways was inevitable between two relentless perfectionists. Perhaps it meant Fagen had lost his sense of humour, his willingness to have fun, or a sense of clarity in favour of technical perfection… because unfortunately, these issues seem to plague “The Nightfly”. The best thing to say about “The Nightfly” is that it’s always listenable. Fagen’s vocals are crystal-clear and perfectly suit the songs he’s performing. Even if his voice lacks much character, his trademark multi-tracked harmonies are the main selling point and mean there’s usually something worth listening for. The band’s performances, too, are meticulous, no doubt about it. It’s just… dull. Opener “I.G.Y” is a snoozy jazz shuffle, relaxed and confident but hardly inspired. From here, we end up with a similarly paced track in “Ruby Baby”, an exhausting ballad “Maxine”, and various clinical exercises in harmonic structure or soft-jazz-pop. When the tempo shifts up a notch, in the limp-footed strut of “New Frontier” or the ending “Walk Between Raindrops”, it should be a shot in the arm but feels more like a tickle from a dead fish. My main issue with “The Nightfly”, then, is that it portrays Fagen as a jazz keyboard player first and a songwriter second. There’s all sorts of showing off going on: unconventional and complex chord sequences; augmentations, suspensions, sevenths, ninths, elevenths mixed together in an over-facing cocktail. The arrangements are decent, but production feels a little flat to me with overly harsh drums, lack of warmth, limited dynamic range. This album was one of the first to be recorded entirely digitally, giving Fagen even more reason to chase for perfection and less reason to focus on the actual songs. Various jazz enthusiasts, engineering boffins, or rich men who own yachts may love this record… but sadly, it isn’t for me until I become one of those people.
2.5 ganz nett
Pretty much seems like rejected Steely Dan songs. The songs have a good beat/instrumentation but then he sings and it's like "alright buddy". Nothing is awful but it's definitely not 1001 albums type stuff.
pass
smug and greasy just like steely dan
i mean, really.
Attack of the smooth jazz
I feel like I need to preface this by saying, I really love Steely Dan! I really do! But it's really clear that Walter Becker was the key to what made them so good. Donald Fagen on his own is so boring. Every song drones on for too long and sounds the same, and I'm someone who loves Yacht Rock and similar genres. I don't know what it is, but I just can't stand Donald Fagen by himself. I would have given this a 1, but I actually enjoyed "The Goodbye Look" so it gets an extra star.
Pretty bad. Would be good in a lift. Proper muzak
Donald heeft iets teveel met zijn grijpgrage vingertjes in de strooppot gezeten denk ik. Hoe krijg je het voor elkaar om een heel album vol met dit soort mierzoete muzak te produceren. Bijna knap.
Als ik me ongeïnspireerd voel, voel ik me als deze muziek.
This one was not for me. It’s a pop record with no real edge to it. I wonder why it was so popular…
I got bored
meh. didn't really do any thing for me
With apologies to David O'Doherty, I'm not at all keen on Steely Dan, nor the solo careers of their former members. This album was released on 1 October 1982 and has not aged well. It's overproduced and soulless, and the cheap synth sound is almost comically cheesy in places. Rating: 1.5/5 Playlist track: I.G.Y Date listened: 27/06/23
I’m trying, guys, but I ain’t winning. I’ll keep putting quarters in the machine the next time there’s a record from the Dan-iverse on this list, but much like Donkey Kong I don’t like the odds of it going well.
2/3
So back to back with steely Dan, This solo album explorers the lesser instincts in the band. There's no bite, and the instrumentation is a bit to AM jazzy for me.
Not my cup of tea. Did not like. Will not listen again.
What in the Yacht Rock is this mess.
Not terrible, but not for me.
There are a couple of promising tracks here but it's mostly bad.
Perfectly crafted, and not for me anyway. Found this terminally dull.
Light and Fluffy version of Steely Dan.
Hmmmm. Less said about this soft jazz “rock” the better. I’m sure this floats some peoples boats, but I thought it was guff.
Another Steely Dan-adjacent album, and it's too close to that sterile, jazzier end of their output (like Aja), for my liking. There is something endearing about this one though: lyrically it's a rose-tinted look back at an innocent childhood, and maybe that's what lends a kind of carefree swing to proceedings. It's pleasant enough background music. 2.5
Bland overall.
Not bad, but not for me.
Exactly half of Steely Dan makes an album that is exactly half Steely Dan/half Nintendo music. Opening track IGY might be the best thing dude’s done, but by the third track we’re listening to themes from 80s police procedurals and Mario games.
its a no from me dawg
"The Funky Metronome," everyone called him. Little did they realize he took it as a sign of encouragement.
I feel like I’m in a hotel bar in the 80’s or a wedding.
Yea yknow background music
Not offensive but it’s not for me.
Right... more Steely Dan. This was bland. Perfect background music for a restaurant or elevator or something. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. 2.5/5
Kinda meh...
Fun instrumentation choices but boring vocals and beat on track 1, while also having some crucial lyrics I really honed in on. Strange juxtapositions. Could do to be more up tempo. Quickly afterwards, track after travk, ot becomes less remarkable. Until New Frontier hits and my mind starts seeing the weird future vision being painted again. This one is a conundrum as an album, I want to like it more than I do but mostly just want it to be over too.
Why did every 60s/70s artist fall for the 80s trend of electronic overproduced music. Ugh. This is definitely not bad. Some of the songs are good even. Just filled with too much 80s cliches. It makes the record a bit boring.
This is some seriously dorky shit. This album answers the question "What if Billy Joel wasn't even edgy enough to call himself a downtown man?"
Just couldn't get into this one.
A bit too smooth,like the adult contempo radio station on Grand Theft Auto Vice City.
Boring.....
My Steely Dan education continues... Definitely falls into the 'troublesome 80s production' category - this is ridiculously smooth - though I can find value here. IGY overcomes the initial aversion to the sound, gently dragging me in by just being good for 6 minutes. The next two don't manage this. Green Flower Street, is it quite a song? What key is it in? I'm so confused. The Nightfly is also good, just can't shake the Smooooth, MOR 80s film soundtrack vibe for most of the album sadly.
Otro pasable. Música de fondo que se deja escuchar para mi gusto. Poco más. Y mira que es famoso.
Supremely mid
Mediocre at best. Bring back the Dan, man
Boring beautifully recorded elevator music. 1.5 🌟
just not my shit
Did not enjoy that much since its boring. It's well made but didn't stop me from snoozing.
Cool album cover, that’s where the coolness of this album ends.
Michael MacDonald Fagan?
eh
It was okay
Not for me.
Really nice mixing and instrumentals, but the vocals sound a bit dated.
Very chill, smooth jazz kind of record. Not my normal cuppa tea but I did appreciate this
no
Apparently this album is notable because audiophiles use it to test equipment. I'm glad to learn that it has a purpose, because I was struggling to come up with a reason that you would choose to listen to this. Unnecessarily weird. Best track: New Frontier
Ei kyl oikein lähde… kauttaaltaan jotenkin löysä olematta erityisen kiinnostava. 2/5
Tää oli lähinnä keskinkertainen/huono Steely Dan -levy. Eka biisi ainoa, joka jäi mieleen.
Just too clever clogs for me. I know it is not peak jazz-bo Steely Dan, but it is pretty clever clogs, and very smooth and polished and just not a thing for me. I don;t really get the obsession with Steely Dan, and understand the inclusion of this solo album on the 1001 list even less. This seems like completely inessential listening. More power to ya, if this floats your boat, but I don't know why _I_ have to listen to it.
I was initially excited for some jazzy pop, but unfortunately it’s not the good jazzy. It’s the bad 80s smooth jazzy. Pass
Saattais tällekin levylle olla joku paremmin toimiva hetki, mutta torstai toimistolla jätti kylmäksi. Ei silti mitään megapaskaa vaikka kultainen keskiluokka jää saavuttamatta.
Meni jotenkin huomaamatta ohi kuunnellessa. Ei häirinnyt, mut eipä paljoon kerrottavaakaan jäänyt
10th March 2022 Listened in the office before heading down to Peckham to watch the Batman with Gareth. Not for me, saw it described as yacht rock which is perfect. And everything that goes with it.
At first this is a somewhat fresh take for the 80s, still reveling in horribly-dated synths but keeping things scaled back production-wise as opposed to an all-out assault on the ears. Even this quirk isn’t enough to save the album from droll repetition, though, as crooning can only get you so far when all the backing tracks sound the same.
Great sound but music I don't appreciate
I'm not on enough coke for this.
I think it's neat. But also sort of dated. I think it's almost got these sweet drinking in a speak easy. But just sorta misses the mark.
2/5 not particularly interesting.
Donald Fagen is a white-bread name for a white-bread artist making an overproduced soft rock album that’s overall uninspired but decent.
Fine. Forgettable.
Steely Dan is a 5, so it makes sense that half of Steely Dan is a 2.5. Nothing at all memorable on this album. In fact, I was a little bored. I tried to give it a chance, but there is nothing on this album I'd ever care to hear again. Not offensive or bad, just forgetful. Donald definitely needed Walter Becker.
Meh
I really wanted to like this. I really did, but I didn’t. It just kept hitting like a guy trying really hard to copy too many one hit wonder R and B singers from the era. It came off as cheap and whiny and something my childhood dentist would have played in the waiting room. No bueno
I don't know what this album is. It is early 80s but not full blown 80s music. It has hints of disco and jazz. I did not care for it.
Quite dull.
well, i made it. 38:52 of the whitest music i ever thought i'd hear. so white it mocks you. it never deviates from the beat, it never swings, it's somehow always on the 1 and 3, even when it's on the 2 and 4 - i don't know how this music manages that, honestly. i get that it's technically fantastic, but where is its soul? i don't necessarily mean soul like soul music, just...like there's no THERE there, it's just diminished ninths and super clean cymbal hits. i imagine this album is a studio engineer's dream, but lordy, i wasn't sure i was gonna make it through this one. #neveragain #whitestkidsuknow #survivor
Not sure it's that different from many other albums / artists in this genre.
Just not my bad at all
Fagan promised me 90 minutes from New York to Paris, and I've never quite forgiven him. My main feeling is disappointment, since I've always heard such amazing things about Fagan's solo debut (something about it being an audiophile's wet dream), and I'm a Steely Dan Stan (I may give as many as 3 of their albums 5's when they show up here). A suitable comparison would involve the solo output from Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Some of it's good, but it sure as hell isn't the Beatles. There are echoes of the Dan here, but it veers more in the dreaded Yacht Rock direction Steely Dan avoided for the most part. This leans a little too much in the Christopher Cross direction for my taste. It turns out Donald Fagan needed Walter Becker, because this thing for the most part is a snooze.
Sounds like late 70s/early 80s porn music. Not up my strasse.
Slow and calm, but not in a good way. 1RS
It was smooth sailing.
This sounds like a collection of tunes that you'd find programmed into a Casio keyboard. Or like a sampler CD you'd get with a copy of windows 3.1.
Ok but songs are too long
Not really my thing. I liked "The Goodbye Look", but pretty bland imo otherwise
Lesser than steely dan
I just couldn’t get on board with this. As it started I thought, “oh this has a deliciously 80s synth sound to it” but as it moved along at a snails pace there was nothing more to whet the appetite. The chorus hooks, regularly displaying that dissonant held note that is so unpleasant to the ears. This album is just so 80s. And I mean that pejoratively.
Lite jazz dusted pop with none of the free flowing “where next?” of jazz, and none of the emotive oomph of pop. To be fair, two bits did jump out to me - the chorus of the title track (though I can’t now remember how it went), and the song about going between(?) the raindrops - that latter seemed like a pleasant memory, reconstituted into music. Anyway, what I’m saying is, it wasn’t for me.
Pretty bad ngl 2/5
boring, background tunes. don't like Toast to Freedom
Whilst I found these tracks groovy with a good amount of soul & funk, none of them left a noticeable impression on me. Perhaps I’m hard to please but I find so many albums I’ve rated like this one, to be the same level of non offensiveness background music. I went back a few times to listen again & make sure I’m not missing something...I wasn’t. I’m not excited by anything here and certainly nowhere near the point of ordering a copy online for myself. 2 Stars!
Where the fuck are they finding these albums? (I know it's from that book). Robert Plant's favourite from this is Ruby Baby. He likes fucking babies...even ruby ones.
I know absolutely nothing about Donald Fagen and knowing nothing about Donald Fagen, I am struggling to put this album into context. Is it meant to be taken seriously or was it meant as a tongue-in-cheek pastiche? I mean look at that album cover! Either way, it is pretty poor.
Really interesting to read about this album being one of the first digitally-recorded albums and also the legacy in terms of how it resonates with audiophiles and sound engineers. Not totally my vibe, but enjoyed it. 5/10 ⚽ Euro player: Xabi Alonso. Wouldn't top your list of best players of all time, but is highly technically proficient and admired by his peers.
2.2 - Cringey white soul of the late 70s/early 80s.
It's hard to believe that in a few short years I went from hunting down all Steeleye Dan albums to being unaware that Donald Fagen had put out a solo album. I guess my musical landscape had changed & artists like the Talking Heads & The B52s were occupying my time. This sounds like a more pop-oriented Steeleye Dan, as could be expected since the producer and many musicians are the same, save Walter Becker. The arrangements are similar but with less edge, and the lyrics don't seem as clever, though I didn't do a deep dive. It's like Steeleye Dan lite. The Ruby Baby cover is a low point, IMO.
3.5
The first song IGY is pleasant enough, Steely Dan lite. But I wasn't engaged for the rest of the album because all the songs sounded the same to me.
0:05 - Hmmm no esperaba ese sonido teclado ochentero por la portada 0:30 - Hmmm rock pop jazzeado... me recuerda a Steely Dan 2:12 - Que bien producido y nivelado está todo... todo se oye impecable... hmm si la voz suena hasta parecida supongo fue una manera muy de moda de cantar 5:10 - Pinche canción larga... bueno y a todo esto ¿qué hay de este disco? /Wikipedia... No... Noooo NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Un disco más de Steely Dan, ahora solo con medio Steely Dan. No hay diferencia alguna realmente, tiene los mismos pros que mencioné en Pretzel Logic; producción muy buena, excelente mezcla, una combinación de ritmos en manera que usualmente no se hace (aunque era mucho más novedosa en el otro disco, 8 años antes... quizá para estas fechas era ya mucho menos apantallante) y un resultado de música de studio con una calidad inmejorable y tremendamente aburridaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... es ABURRIDISIMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. No creo que pueda decir mucho más que no hubiera mencionado ya en Steely Dan. Lo único que puedo agregar es que en esta ocasión las letras me parecen ligeramente mejores, en algunos casos llegan a ser bastante buenas en cuanto al humor medio negro y crítica que pueden hacer... lástima del pareo de flojera con esa música que llevan.
¿Sólo me pasó a mi o algunas canciones se escuchan más bajitas que otras? ¿Es culpa de Spotify? En fin, los 80s se notan a más no poder: "Tengo dinero y te lo puedo dar, Maxine", "Estudiar fuera, que gran momento de estar vivo", "Violencia por todos lados". Básicamente es como hoy, pero en ese momento se veía como un gran prospecto de mundo. La música es lo más rescatable, entre 80era y jazz muy suave. Creo que ahí radica el problema, no suena mal. Suena agradable, como música de fondo (Excepto la canción que le da nombre al disco, me pareció terrible). Son canciones para un señor americano de 40 años, 2 niños, vive en los suburbios, etc. 1.5 estrellas que voy a dejar en 2 porque realmente no lo odié, pero me parece completamente olvidable.
Not good
Honestly couldn't get through it all. Not something I HATE but absolutely not my jam.
Like Steely Dan without the interesting songwriting. Oh boy. There were some good moments, so it's not a 1, but I was not thrilled overall.
Olipas hajuton ja mauton levy. Easylistening-höttöä ilman mitään mieleen jäävää. Ruotsinlaivalla tämä menisi taustamusiikkina.
Sounded like elevator music for boomers.
Ganska trött avslagen jazz-pop från Steely Dan-snubben. Ungefär 1/5 så bra som omslaget.
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.
This is so inoffensive that it's actually offensive. Plodding baselines with soft jazz overtones. Just screams late night Magic radio music
Donald Faggot
- 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.
Piss off w this 3rd rate jazz cocktail wankfest
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.
Disliked this very intensely. Kept trying to find excuses to stop listening. 1.5
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!
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.
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.
Album 45/1001. Listened 6/29/2026. Definitely not a favorite; came across very dated, even for prog-rock. Won't spin again.
Not for me, dreary and downbeat
Just no.
Steely Dan light. I wanted it over by song 3.
Never coming back to this.
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.
Good God I hate this. It's like the musical equivalent of chemical castration. Couldn't finish this one fast enough.
Awful. I can’t imagine being proud of something this boring.
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.
Not for me. 1/5
Boring, boring dad rock
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
What in the Kentucky fried fuck is this garbage? Album I need to listen to before I die my ass
80's, jazzy, funky. not my thing - too light
What a horrible record this is. Yacht Rock - as its called these days - in the most inane vapid way.I imagine this is played post lobotomy so as not to excite anyone.