The Nightfly

I shall paint a vignette of a scene in the making of the album. 'There they all are, Donald's curated set of professional musicans in the studio, sitting in a circle, smiling at each other in that knowing way, encouraging each other, and all deep in that vibe only musicians can get into, feeling that they are lovingly crafting a masterpiece for the ages. In the other room, behind the glass is sitting the sound engineers, he's not feeling it at all. He is questioning why he signed up for this gig. Aghast at what he his seeing and hearing, he had forgot to press record on the new fangled digital recording device, he gets up and walks out muttering someing like ' fucking pretentious musos'. When Donald and his merry crew go to check out the fruits of their labours, they are shocked to discover the empty room and nothing recorded. Unfortunately, they were never able to recreate that wanky vibe in all its hideous technicolour. Such a shame.

It's like someone bought 8 keyboards and pressed the demo button on each and was like, hey here's an idea!

Nightfly Shitefly. Dreadful. music for people who've given up on listening to anything challenging or interesting or fun. The antithesis of music that I like, but at least it contributed to the catalysis of music that I do like.

This style of music fascinates me in a way that ancient Egypt fascinated people before the Rosetta stone. Absolutely nothing about this music speaks to me. It's almost in a foreign language, yet it was somehow popular, even played on the radio?! And still is to a section of the population. Pop culture really hit a weird twist with yacht rock. And this album is the yachtiest of yacht rock. I feel like this is music for people who thought Billy Joel was too "ethnic". I will never understand this and I will judge people who do. Completely fascinating though.

Nope. The dentist ruined this one for sure. In the early 80's, Donald Fagan got played in all the dentist offices and his voice conjures memories... I'm probably 9 and anxiously sitting in the Dr. Spencer's waiting room to for my name to be called so I could get my teeth drilled. No thank you.

Somehow even more nothing-like (or: less something-like) than Steely Dan. Glad I generously gave that one 2—now this one fits on the Dan curve.

So bad

It was okay. Perfect for the time it was made, but not something I’d choose to listen to now

So vapid. Admittedly, there are some hits on this album; I just don't need to hear them ever again.

Kurwa jaki nudny album. Had to start learning polish to entertain myself somehow

This sound wore out very quickly for me. Boring lounge music with no soul..

disliked songs: Ruby Baby, New Frontier Holy drum machine, Batman. Displeasing vocals. How can an album with so many interesting chords be so boring? 1.25

I've really enjoyed reviewing three Steely Dan albums so far, so I've really been looking forward to this album. I have pretty high hopes for this album, and I'm excited to fire it up! Well, those high hopes were dashed. I thought this album was a complete snooze. I was so bored by it, I had to go back and listen to Pretzel Logic to make sure I wasn't an idiot for enjoying Steely Dan (Pretzel Logic still kicks ass, whew). This album is just absolutely bland from start to finish. I think I could listen to it a dozen times in a row and not be able to recognize a single song a week later. I appreciate the 'Nightfly' theme, but everything here has been smoothed out so much that it lacks any texture and depth. The arrangements weren't particularly interesting, and only the opening and title tracks really came close to being anything of substance. I'll take some Steely Dan any day, but this album was a dud.

Wishy washy pap

could i write poetry to this? N

I hate this shit so much!

I'm struck by how many superficial similarities this has with Herbie Hancock's Head Hunters - jazz/funk fusion, exploration of electric keys with horns and guitar. Superficial similarities; because if listening to Head Hunters is like the best sex you ever had, listening to this is like sitting through a junior college lecture about intercourse. Head Hunters is heart, soul and libido, this comes across as applied theory and and fear of misstep. Donald Fagan definitely belongs in any conversation of artists who made a living draining a musical style of everything that makes it great: Lawrence Welk, Pat Boone, Kenny G. So polished; so awful.

In a nutshell: jazz rock. How groundbreaking 🙄 Fagen's solo album sounds like any other Steely Dan album (ie well produced and backed by a tight band)...which is exactly its problem. The level of self indulgence and mediocrity was sickening here. And that's just me. Overall: 2/19

This is exactly the kind boring music my dad would try to convince me is actually really good and interesting. I am genuinely surprised this album isn't in his LP collection.

Baffling choice.

Cool. Something I hate more than Steely Dan.

There's a reason you see so many copies of this album for cheap at Goodwills, flea markets and less discerning used record stores - it's complete garbage.

I’d usually put my 3 highlight songs on the album, but in this case every song is so painfully boring, and they all blend into each other (and not in the cool Queen II/Dark Side Of The Moon way.) Bad music doesn’t sound awful, it sounds boring. This sounds like it was made to make everyone happy and therefore doesn’t match the taste of everyone quite right, so in actual fact, no one is quite satisfied.

I really hated this. Didn’t even make it through a full song. “Let’s make jazz, but instead of instruments, let’s synthesize them” 1 star

Ugh

Korruptoi ihmisiä ajattelemaan, että jazzille ominainen letkeys kuuluu normaaliin musiikkiin. Ensimmäisessä biisissä on jotain toimivaa.

This is bad even for the supermarket playlist

Yawn. Dry & tight.

Oof

Hmmmm, jazz? Never heard of this guy let's see what the Wiki says before I even start listening. Singer-songwritter...Don't have much hope for this one. Luckily it's only 38 min. Yeah this album sucks lol I rarely give 1 star but this one is getting it. :/ I need some Ministry to cleanse my ears after that! lol

This is some wacky sounding white-boy jazz

Still so funny to me that hip millennials have convinced themselves that Steely Dan is good.

Nice try, this is still some bullshit Steely Dan, you ain't fooling nobody, fuck this guy!

someone else on here described this as yacht rock. I can't bettter that description.

If you weren't really into music in the 80's, this is the story of thing you would listen to. And I hope that sentence is taken as the insult it's meant to be.

Steely Dan vibes, but not good

Ick yacht rock

1/5. And I thought AC/DC deserved the award for having every song sound exactly the same. Donald FAGen I think has them beat!!

The production is great and the quality of the recording is superb.... But, it's just so bland..... If this record had colour, it would be grey.

How did this make the list?

Relentlessly boring. I just don't understand how anyone willingly listens to this music.

Dull as dishwater. Doesn't deserve to be played in even the shittest hotels. Fave track: I.G.Y.

family-friendly sitcom soundtrack that is so dated, it is actually just annoying to listen to maxene had some interesting jazzy modulations on the vocals but then came back to shlockcom. Significant 30/90 Liked 14/90 Added 4/90 NNN

Notable Songs: IGY

1 star. Unlistenable.

気持ち悪い。聴いていて悪寒が走る

I hated the Steely Dan album we had to listen to, and this is only slightly more endurable.

Now, this is the 80s music that I don’t like. 2/10

And I need to listen to this why exactly?

Wow, not at all my style of music! I am stunned that this horrible album is on ANY list. How did this album warrant a spot?!?

I.G.Y isn’t good enough to rescue this album for me. Hard pass on this one.

1,5/5 Es könnte ja fun sein wenn sie sich nicht so ernst nehmen würden. Was bleibt ist entkernter Jazzypop

Jumalauta nordnet pitää rahoja saatana ei tilille tule.. 2 päivää vähintään.. pankkipäiviä odottaa rahoja.. 3. Moos. 19:13.. neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. Aamulla pitäis rahat olla.. ei ole.. Musiikista.. ensimmäinen biisi sen verran pop paskaa ei armoa..

The epitome of everything that was wrong with the 80s. About as much substance as a balloon.

Probably deserves 2 stars because it's inoffensive and I didn't HATE it... but I did feel lied to by the album cover, so I'm docking it a point for that. Also, the heart sinking feeling when I opened it up on Spotify and saw that the similar playlists were "Yacht Rock" and "Soft Rock"

Oef, zoet

Lekker met lage cijfers aan het strooien vandaag; dit is er ook weer zo een die ik totaal niet ken en helemaal niks aan mis.

boring jazz

Steely Dan light. I was never a big Steely Dan fan, although I liked some of their stuff. This album does nothing for me apart from make me drowsy.

Nice try assholes

Holy hell this shit sucks.

Huey Lewis called - you have his schtick

Not a fan of this. It almost felt like it was some sort of spoof album of an entire genre.

It's really boring. I don't understand why it's here. I guess it earned some accolades when it was new but it's quite forgettable now. I don't know if it's really 1 star bad but it isn't very long and I still was in the "why isn't this over yet?" Mode. So a 1 it is. Seriously this is only for Steely Dan fan boys or people who don't their rock to actually rock.

Generic 80’s crap. Not sure how so many of these got on the list.

Æsj.

Sounds like a poundshop Sting making pretentious yacht rock for a bunch of 80s insurance salesmen. Absolute wank.

1.5

Just because you can record an album doesn't mean you should. This was easy listening hell. Hated it.

Cheesy, dated and a drag overall

80s pop music at it's worst

Not really my genre.

3 songs. I made it 3 songs. It was like having nails driven into my skull. What sadistic monster put this album on the list?

Combining my least favorite things in music: Steely Dan and smooth Jazz. I know my biases are personal, so I'll rate this as to its being on this list which is 3/5. Yeah, never mind. I tried to be fair. This is just shit. Music isn't supposed to make you hostile. 1.5/5.

Synthetic sounds, plastic production, and wooden writing. Nobody needs this album. There's nothing remarkable to experience here.

No idea why it's an album to listen to before you die

Devoid of anything if interest. Ruby baby was sheer agony. At some point there was a cow bell keeping beat. 38 minutes was too much. I never ever want to experience this again.

it sucks

PUuukyyy schmaltz for middle aged white people. Seriously what the hell!?

Muzak indeed. Waste of time.

What the actual? Cruise ship band

Competent at what it does, only what it does is tacky synth-pop-‘jazz’. I’ve never heard the name Donald Fagen before, but I’ve heard many of these songs before, on the intercom at CVS. HARD pass.

Issa pooper.

Couldn’t finish it. Absolute tripe.

What a load of nosh. My doll hand has more power in it than this

Easy listening but not particularly my thing

I had never heard of this album, which was weird given its release date and popularity. I like Steely Dan, and the album cover was even cool, so I was interested to listen. Unfortunately it really just sounded like generic "classic rock bandleader goes solo" in the vein of Michael McDonald. It was really forgettable and had no standout tracks.

No mamen esto es peor que la música de Loca Academia de Policía. Qué clase de basura reaccionaria es esta. Me reí mucho escuchando esto, los arreglos son ridículos, suena de la shit. Lo vi mentado tantas veces en muchos lados, y por la portada pensaba que era new wave o algo así. Pero no. Otra selección que no entiendo porque está aquí. Bueno sí lo entiendo, por el culto a esa infame banda, Steely Dan. Ojalá no salga Steely Dan pronto. Lo pondría cero estrellas pero no se puede.

This has no right to be here. Andy Sinton

Next.

Halvslapp pop-jazz fra 80-tallet?

Couldn't even get through 1 song

Barf

Nah

Tan ochentero, tan pianito electrico Casio y voces en coro y guitarra limpia. De plano no me causó emoción alguna. Por la sugerencia de Víctor leí un poco de la historia y ok, de lo primerito en el mundo grabado de manera totalmente digital y no niego que le da una calidad muy muy grande a nivel producción: se puede oír cada aburrido isntrumento y cada detalle. La portada me hacía esperar un tanto cuanto más, pero luego leí el origen del serñor Fagen y pues ya sabía a dónde iba esto.

I don’t have a car

Very nice