Donald Fagen – The Nightfly

I had seen the video for 'New Frontier' when it came out. The song still got radio play. But hearing the title track on late-night NYC radio in 1990 made me go out and buy the CD (where is it now?). I was a weird kid, up late listening to the radio, hearing a song about a late night DJ. The light on in the upper room of the house on the back, that was me - only in an apartment.

Early digital didn't work for everything. Ever hear Ry Cooder's 'Bop Til You Drop' from 1979?! It's like sitting in an anechoic chamber with Bumps Blackwell.

3 years later - several lifetimes in terms of technology - this album was made on a 3M digital machine. Maybe it's the precision of the song writing and performances, but digital was made for The Nightfly. It sounds sharp, etched, clear. Like the graphite and glitter mentioned in I.G.Y.

All that effort to capture it on digital and then they press it onto the most analog of analog formats: vinyl. You gotta love the irony (I'm sure Donald did).

Love this record. Musically, it's the 8th Steely Dan record. Lyrically, it's the first Donald Fagen solo album.

This Scandinavian ncb pressing is an RL (Robert Bob Ludwig) cut and sounds great.

Similar to the Chris Bellman cut, which is more neutral, this one is a tad coloured but we're talking subtleties here and it probably takes the edge off a tad, from what can be a very analytical sounding recording.

A very smooth sound that's what I noticed from the CD playback.

This came so highly recommended by so many different publications, but I have to say that it is overall a pretty big disappointment. It just sounds like the most generic type of music. It's the kind of music that tries to appeal to everyone but in the end, it really doesn't appeal to anyone. I could see myself playing this at a dinner party, i guess, while everyone talks over it. Bummer.

2/5

Thought I knew this album backwards, having owned it since it was first released.

Until I bought this MFSL pressing, that is...hearing things I'd never before heard. Fantastic.

One of the greatest albums of the rock era. Always a "go to`' for audiophiles and Hi-Fi demos- sounds even more spectacular on SACD format.

My copy shows variant 2 on Side 1 and variant 3 on Side 2. Looks more like an "O" than a "D" to me.
(Side A runout - variant 6): 1-23696-A-E11 MASTERDISK RL O-3 [EDP logo] M1 SF2SM3 LPMC
(Side B runout - variant 6): 1-23696·B E7 R̶E̶ ̶1̶ MASTERDISK RL O-9 [EDP logo] M2SF1SM2

Recently purchased this version of this album (180grm) and returned it due to skipping in several places on the first track of side 1. Purchased another copy of the same version but have had to return this also….. same problem….skipping on the first track of side 1. Anyone else experienced this? I would love a good copy of this album but very wary about purchasing another!

my copy doesn’t have song running times beside the titles on the side A label. can’t find anything like this..anyone else ever see the same thing?