Donald Fagen....The Nightfly

H

Heavymental

Joined
Dec 10, 2003
Messages
877
Reaction score
1
This popped up on the HFC forum and thought I'd cross it over. Bit of history for me as as kids we always used to take the piss out of my dad for having this album in his car all the time. Then one day someone broke into the car to get the stereo, failed, and nicked my dads copy of this album....discerning tastes these car thieves:rolleyes: Anyway i picked up a tape of my own for a quid in Woolies once where it stayed in my car all through uni. I now have a vinyl copy, I always put it on at parties, and as a mere youngster at 26 it goes down surprisingly well amongst folks who don't realise what they're listening to. Great lyrics and lounge style funk tunes. Great chilled album with soul and a really unique vibe.
Nightfly led me backwards to the delights of Steely Dan. I now crank up all house parties with Do It Again which is just such a great tune. Again, who would have thought Steely Dan could rock a party these days. Always find it funny watching people tapping their feet and not knowing its their dads fave.
Donald Fagen and Steely Dan has such a unique style to it, pretty hard to classify but I haven't really heard anything similar, and the music is all topped off with real sci-fi type lyrics that remind me of kind of fifties idealistic modern homes era. New Frontier on Nightfly for example is a song about having a party in a bombshelter that his dad built...incase the russians decide to push the button down. Not your usual subject matter.
Anyway, dunno if that describes it really but check it out.
 
So is The Nightfly any good then? I'm tempted by the album cover :)

Who was it who did "That's livin' alright" with the Auf Wiedersehen, Pet boys? Isn't that Donald Fagen or am I getting my Fagens mixed up???

OOPS - it's Joe Fagen - was gonna say that it didn't sound like an internationally lauded star on that particular tune :shame:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
i think i bought this when it came out, i've a fairly mint vinyl copy now - i think i picked it up s/h and it's the most digital sounding recording i can think of right now. yeah i've soft spot for steely dan too. I seem to remember my second year french teacher bullying me into buying countdown to ecstacy.

.
 
must remember to order Nightfly on dvd-a....

the best album i've found is Donald Fagen's solo 'Kamakiriad'. One of those rare albums where there isn't a duff track amongst them.

recommended dvd-v with 5.1 DD and DTS sound- Two Against Nature (but not the cd or dvd-a versions). This is more of a greatest hits, live set with the TAN songs embedded in, in slightly different , and imo much better arrangements
My fave dvd :)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...2538/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_10_1/026-8046188-8082015
a must buy for any SD fan...go and buy it!!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Rory - yet more thanks due to you for that 'Kamakiriad' recommendation. I managed to get my mitts on it when on holiday in Dubai last year and don't regret it. :cool:
 
To be fair, I've only given it one play and that's when I came in from work last week tired and stressed out. Will give it a proper listen under the right conditions - i.e. the weekend without any work to worry about and plenty of cold beer around!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top