The Nightfly

This is the kind of music for people who want others to think they like music, but really they don't.

I could see myself liking this album one day. It has a fun groove to it, but as of listening to it today it isn’t an album I see myself intentionally putting back on to listen to. The track Nightfly is a pretty fun song that is emblematic of the album as a whole.

Surely, there’s got to be better music out there? It just exists, nothing sticks out in any way

dude come on

2 cheesy 4 me

This brings me no joy

Why is it I always think of Oliver Twist when I hear this name? Can’t get ‘Gotta pick a pocket or two’ out of my head now thanks to this selection. Thing is I prefer that than most of what’s served up on this album. 2/5 20/11/25

This sounds like a Sting impersonator singing b side Huey Lewis and the News songs. With this, I just can’t. What is this? Why is it here with the likes of Dark Side of the Moon and the White Album? I’m glad it’s only 8 songs. What’s not a glad moment is moving onto the next song before the previous one is over. It’s that bad. Like, ok, as an album separate from great albums it’s not horribly produced. It’s musically inclined. The vocals are just ok The lyrics are weak but probably suitable for an 80’s album. You could have sex to this music as long as the lady you are talking it doesn’t pay much attention to it. If she does, that’s on you Mr. Boring Pants.

[rupaul voice] WHO CARES???

Damn that kinda sucked. Just shmaltzy and stupid sounding.

Man I realized I was barely four songs in and i needed another 4 to go. I guess this isn’t for me because man it felt like a chore and a drag getting through 4 songs

I used to like this. I used to like Steely Dan, too. Now, not so much. With Steely it may be over exposure on all the radio stations. This one just didn't age well.

Starting from song #1: oh, that’s where half those songs came from when I was working at Rite Aid!

Not really my thing. How did this get on the list? Pretty forgettable.

Fine to have on in the background but this one didn’t grab me in any way

Pretty cheesy soft rock. Banal. A frankly generous 2 stars.

maybe an album you need to hear before you die if you’ve never heard yacht rock?

idk who did it first, donald or steely dan, but i don’t care

Naja

Would enjoy more on a summers day!

Noodling along

one of the worst parts of growing up is watching your friends become steely dan fans

meh...

There’s something about this era/style that just is so hokey to me. The keyboards and synths just make it hard to take it seriously.

Not my vibe. Lots of soft rock, synth piano, and sax sounds. Oh. It's the Steely Dan guy - no wonder I didn't like it.

This was interesting, very 80s, really liked one track. Late 2s.

This grew on me like a tumor. I started feeling nothing, but over time I really hated it. Close to a 1. I see this is the singer from Steely Dan, who I usually don't mind, but man I didn't enjoy this

You can really see who contributed 'that' Steely Dan sound. However, unlike Steely Dan, there's really no spark to any of these songs. No magic. Kinda forgettable.

meh, not my vibe

Very easy listening, inoffensive album. Not much really to note though and not any reason to listen to again. Briefly delves into some blues-esque riffs at points but never at length. Nothing to hate but nothing to love. Can definitely hear the Steely Dan in here. 4.75/10 (2.375/5)

Liked it in the beginning but then it turned into a Dad fest

It’s nice he could make this passion project, but sadly I don’t share his passion for mediocre jazz easy listening

These songs all sound the same. Technically good, but meh.

Soooooooft

"Dit is alsof Steely Dan in de jaren 80 is beland" zegt iemand die er verstand van heeft. Steely Dan gaf ik hier wel redelijk hoog (één keer een 5 zelfs), de 80's geef ik hier meestal vrij laag. Dit is niet echt een album waar ik van zit te smullen. Het is geen ramp om een keer aan te hebben staan maar ik vind het allemaal toch wat nietszeggend. Veel nunmmers lijken wel heel erg op elkaar. Achtergrondmuziek voor in een bepaald type kroeg. Een soort nietszeggende jazz. Lelijke 80's, maar wel vroege eighties, wat weer net wat minder lelijk is dan midden tot late 80's. Dit houdt voor mij echt het midden tussen een 2 en 3. Welke van die twee ik hier morgen ook voor uitdeel, ik zal het idee hebben dat ik fout zit.

Good yacht rock music

I've struggled to find words to properly describe my feelings about Steely Dan in three album reviews. But I think I kind of understand now. It's not just dad rock. For reasons I don't understand, it's like hearing rock from *your* dad. It's particularly embarrassing to listen to. And somehow it's actually more embarrassing when the music is kind of good. You want to try to enjoy it and be sort of proud but you wouldn't dare risk your friends catching you listen to it. What if your dad gets a fanbase and some radio play? Oh god, your friends will find out about this, won't they? Oh what now? Your dad is making a *solo* album?? Please let it not be too awful. But also, please don't let it be good either. Oh no, "The New Frontier" is actually pretty catchy but the rest is cringeworthy. Maybe he'll get bored soon and move on to some other mid-life crisis project... That about sums up my reaction to Steely Dan and Donald Fagen. It's sort of good and I'm tempted to enjoy it a little. But it's there's just something too embarrassing about liking it.

Why does this sound like if Bill Wurst made an album?

Not my jam.

I don't like this.

Too much Steely, not enough Dan. There’s just none of the lyrical punch and energy that came from Steely Dan’s work, and instead it just drifts into nondescript soft jazz territory. Fahey can’t turn the same phrases that hit so hard on their classic songs. Even if you see this as a follow-up to Gaucho, it still can’t get anywhere close to some of the skewering wit of that album’s work. A flawed, tired effort from an otherwise great songwriter.

relajado

It's okay, but not really my thing. 80's smooth jazz.

There wasn’t anything “wrong” with it, per se. it’s just that as soon as a song ended, I forgot it. Nothing about it stuck in my head.

Somehow, somewhere in a child's mind, "I.G.Y." is lodged in memory. Or rather, it was until today's 1001 Albums generator dropped. It has to be from some hazy radio airplay or maybe a dentist's office or a supermarket, as this album was never in the house. What a time to be alive. I was too young to clock that this was the man from The Dan, despite the immediately recognizable voice and an album so slickly produced the rest of it can slide right by if you're not careful. On a single listen, I'd say that'd be okay by today's standards. Maybe we should let this record recede into the past and give up a slot in the next edition of the book — or maybe it should stick around as a signpost in time, a guy remembering the optimism of his own youth before the disappointments of his later years. Time, like an LP, is a flat circle after all.

This didn't make me angry, my requirement to give a one, but it was very dull.

I recognise the cover art here. What have I heard before? It's been on my "to listen" list for years, but I hadn't got very far because I didn't like this. So thanks again to this project for getting me to take action and listen all the way through. Unfortauntely I still think this sucks. Overly clean, artificial synthesised tunes that don't really go anywhere. The title track is the best of a bad bunch by quite some margin, and it's not even good.

Did not recognize this album or artist right away, which is always fun because I have no pre-conceived notions going into it. I read that this is one of the dudes from Steely Dan, which I've never gotten into, but I know he is highly regarded. The first few seconds of IGY are very nice, and then........it just goes downhill from there. I have two major gripes with this thing and they are 1) the sound and 2) the songs. While I'm sure this record appeals to all the poor souls who can't stand an iota of noise in their music, it is way too clean for me. The sound of this record is so sterile you can eat off it. Donald Fagen must have the kind of OCD where you have to wash your hands 17 times before you know you're clean. There is not a dust mote living within 10 miles of this dude's house. I'm assuming every instrument on this record is electronic, which makes it sound like a well programmed preset on a Yamaha. And while that may work for Wesley Willis it does not work for Donald Fagen. Some songs (like dare I say it, those penned by WW) are so bad they're good. These songs are just bad, and it's because there is not an authentic note in The Nightfly's entire 39 minutes. And while I don't hate it, it is the antithesis of every strongly held musical opinion I've had since I could push a cassette into a tape deck. TWO STARS

Funk-rock oriented jazz. Layered vocals. Distinctly 80's. Not quite my style.

Didn’t hate it. Slick sound verging on sterile. Tracks blend into one another with little variation. Fagen’s voice is pretty weak and irritatingly nasal. Anodyne background music that never really engages on a deeper level. Music that arrives dressed in shoulder pads and a pair of aviator shades.

Lift music for an aging corporate bank that’s seen better days. Uses a lot of sounds that have aged poorly and haven’t retained their nostalgia factor. I don’t suspect it was particularly innovative at the time either. I’m only happy I listened to this as I was able to finally identify ‘I.G.Y’ as the track used at the beginning of Wardown’s isolated mix 119 (would recommend!) which has been bugging me for ages.

Boring

Elevator music in its purest form.

I liked the opening track, but the rest was too smooth for me, though I appreciate the musicianship. A high two.

Alternative

Hay una razón por la que no me gusta el Yacht Rock y toda esa onda suave que mezcla rock, jazz y pop. Hay otros artistas que logran esa mezcla sin hacerla aburrida. Pieso en, por ejemplo, The Sea an Cake y su disco Oui. ¿Saben qué? Mejor me voy a escuchar eso.

It feels like the kind of music that'd play in the waiting room of a therapist's office or a cheesy 80s movie intro. It's polished almost to the point of feeling sterile and there's something off about the vocals that hardly makes them sound human. The #1 word that comes to mind is "Inoffensive," and that's just not where good music comes from.

As expected the production is high on this one, a mix of soft-rock, jazz and pop. But unlike some of the Steely Dan albums this one just didn't excite me, felt very sophisticated but also just a bit too boring.

Meh

nothing wrong with it just didn’t do much for me

Donald Fagen's 1982 debut solo album, "The Nightfly", is a concept album set in the late 1950s and early 1960s, a period of optimism and futuristic vision, with Fagen assuming the persona of a late-night DJ broadcasting from a fallout shelter. "The Nightfly" is certainly a well crafted and executed album, but there's nothing here that grabbed my interest, excited me or thrilled me beyond the concept itself. I found it too mellow, laid-back and low key for my taste, showing it's 'smooth' Jazz influences. All said, it was a tad dull. I rate this at 2 stars. Would I listen to this album again? No. Would I buy this album? No. Side one 1- "I.G.Y."- 3 2- "Green Flower Street"- 2 3- "Ruby Baby"- 2 4- "Maxine"- 2 Side two 1- "New Frontier"- 3 2- "The Nightfly"- 2 3- "The Goodbye Look"- 2 4- "Walk Between Raindrops"- 3 Total - 19 Average - 2.4 83/1001

Pouco interessante, um bocadinho sem cor. Não achei grande piada.

not bad, not good, bland

Eh, I recognize that there is talent here, but it’s just a little too polished, and honestly a bit boring. Eh.

2/5 - All songs felt long and samey. Nothing stood out. Same melody throughout.

No edge

Steely Dan was mid, but at least it was that. This sounds like a 1970s Rocker trying to be hip in the 1980s... because that's exactly what it is. It had two enjoyable songs(to some extent), but this was just...bleh. Favorite Track: "Ruby Baby".

Not much of a Donald Fagen fan. This album only reinforces that premise.

A little too smooth jazzy for me.

This is nice. Nice and dull. I fiound that I can appreciate almost any one of Fagan's songs, but as the album went on, the groove became irritating.

Known best as the vocalist from Steely Dan, this first solo album shows an optimistic musicality, with a jazzy vibe.

If you’d like a 80's pop jazzy version of The Beach Boys - then this album is for you! But sadly its not for me.

There are a couple of beauts, and I just rewatched the video for “New Frontier,” which is sublime. I can’t believe the assortment of music that I watched on MTV in those early days. But most of the album did not impress me.

Not a cohesive set. Song relationship did not flow.

Didn't realize why this sounded so familiar until I read the album description, honestly. Although it's interesting to learn about early digital recordings, this doesn't strike me as a successful experiment. It's weird, which I appreciate in general, but this particular weird doesn't feel like it goes well with mine 🤷

This album is firmly of an era, and unfortunately it’s a horrible era. Terrible sounds, awful mix, boring yacht rock grooves.

Bbbboooorrrriiinnngggg

Steely dan, but more boring and less fun.

I like some Steely Dan but this was a bit 80s dad jazz rock. (40 known/87 new)

Lots of steely dan this week. Still not my thing.

Sucked! 2/5

Good beats ruined by shit lyrics

I can see why this won a Grammy. I can also see why I very much disliked it. Which made sense when I learnt Fagan was in Steely Dan. It sounded like Weird Al doing lounge rock if he wasn't funny. It wasn't therefore terrible to listen to but it was cringey as fuck. Maxine was really bad. Listen to Maxine, Witch Queen instead.

This guy is a successful, professional musician and this album is apparently autobiographical, so I am somewhat confused about how bloody boring this is. Has he not heard of sex, drugs and rock and roll? It started with some dismal 80s synth sounds, sequed into some dreary saxophone, it did have some nice harmony vocals bits, but lyricwise I got bored when he wouldn't shut up about someone called Ruby, and that was only song 3!

#624. It's Steely Dan without the steel. Aluminum Dan, if you will. 2/5: pontoon boat rock.

Sounds like Steely Dan, but with more elevator.

Quite a long, synthy pop rock song to open the album with, but it wasn't super poppy, just a little poppy. Maxine had some great saxophone in it.

Technically, it's a brilliant album. I never was a Steely Dan fan, and I don't like Fagen's voice. Lyrics and vocalizations are... special, another thing that started to annoy me after several tracks.

That was like an elevator ride that would never end.

A little boring. The song “ruby baby” felt like a 20min song. Not my favorite album

Meh

Jazzy sound of that particular era, probably fueled a thousand early 80s dinner parties where people schmoozed, did cocaine, shared partners, and laughed about new fangled things like how do they set the clock on the VCR?

No thanks!

2 - Just did nothing for me

Very boring but not actively bad. At least it was short ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Makes me wish I was listening to Steely Dan.

First impression: bit of a joe Walsh vibe Second thought: definitely a j geils band typa thing going on Third thought: wait this sounds like steely dan. I think this is steely dan guy. And it was steely dan guy

This feels like a watered-down, overly polished version of Steely Dan — all the slick production, none of the edge. If you’re a Steely Dan fan and thought, “What if this sounded cheesier and less interesting?” — well, this is the album for you. The whole thing is soaked in that unmistakable early ’80s gloss: synthetic drums, clean-as-a-whistle horns, and a general vibe that sounds like the background music in a corporate training video. The musicianship is solid — it is Donald Fagen, after all — but the soul just isn't there. That said, the title track is legitimately great. It's the one moment where the smooth production actually works in the album's favor — nostalgic, well-written, and atmospheric in all the right ways. But aside from that, most of the album blurs together in a sea of sterile grooves and elevator-funk. If you're here for Steely Dan’s sharp wit and gritty cool, The Nightfly will leave you wanting. Two stars for effort and one standout track

Started off liking this album, but the longer it went on, the more often I checked the time. The songs are too long, which is impressive on a 38min album, made it feel twice as long.

Music for the waiting room between purgatory and hell. Boring, smooth, dumb lyrics…it’s got it all! Technically competent, like all of this man’s output.

Did not like, instrumental wasgood but the lyrics were nott

From the opening keyboard riff of leadoff track “I.G.Y.” I immediately thought of marshmallows — soft, white, squishy, uniformly without blemish and ultraprocessed as hell. Totally not my thing but I recognize its qualities. Not surprisingly it has been sampled extensively.

I like this even less than Steely Dan. I didn't know that was possible.

thank god, i had just been thinking that the 4 steely dan albums on the list weren't enough representation for Donald fagen, but luckily they made sure to include this inoffensive and bland masterpiece. I'm sure the introduction to fagen's solo work is a big day for any steely dan fan, who can then amaze and astound all of their yawning friends with the bombshell that they aren't actually hearing "The Dan" but rather donald fagen all on his lonesome, with all of the verve and charisma that we've all come to expect from an expert steely dan fan

The Nightfly sounds a bit (A LOT in places!) like an ultra-slick jazzier version of Steely Dan minus one member not to imply it's anywhere as good as any of Steeley Dan's 9 studio albums but it very much has that vibe. Nothing really grabbed me about the album (the electric piano playing is a highlight) but nothing made want to stop listening (even if I hate smooth jazz shit) in fact at times it seemed to just become one with the background, faceless & just always there. It's an exceptionally well recorded album too bad the material is as MOR as it gets. Painfully inoffensive, bachelor pad/party music for yuppies circa early 1980s. Listen to it or don't you decide- I don't care -neither decision will have much impact on anything. Who wants a line? _______________________________________ Don't like my grade? Fair enough. You grade it. 5/5 If you subscribed to The Wall Street Journal in 1983 and "The Dan" was your favorite band in college. 4/5 If you're from Passaic, New Jersey. 3/5 Only because it's so annoyingly well recorded. 2/5 If really well recorded records don't mean all that much too you. 1/5 If you were really hoping to get a Pantera album but the generator has a warped sense of humor.

Well made. Great attention to detail. Perfection is boring. In one ear and out the other. Steely Dan already has 4 albums on the list, which is already too much. This doesn't need to be there as well. Same issue I have as with Steely Dan is, I don't understand the purpose of this music. On what occasion would you want to play this? I can't think of any. Favorite song: new frontier.

Surprised how yacht rock this is. Professionalism, check. Skills, check. Mix, check. Boring, check. Nuclear armageddon and he just wants to bang a chick he's eyeing? Please.

Still a little too Steely Dan for me, but it's aight.

2 stars. I thought I'd like it more considering the guy is part of Steely Dan.

It is fine, but not really my thing.

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?

I thought I might find this insufferable I was right

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