Donald Fagen. Nightfly

[bubinga5]

This never gets old..The album is a masterpiece . its so well put together. A true master in music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5LSRrAwUtA

Edited August 19, 2017 by bubinga5

[blue]

It's probably in my top 5 fav albums of all time.

Blue

[SpondonBassed]

I've not followed Fagen specifically but I liked Steely Dan. I think it was IGY that made me listen more to Fagen. He's an acquired taste for me and I still haven't quite got there.

Nightfly was a great album though. I still have a four track cassette recording of my long lost LP somewhere.






I'll get my spandex jacket.

Edited August 19, 2017 by SpondonBassed

[casapete]

Never got this album at all - too perfect and clinical for me, lacking in soul -
runs for cover........

[SICbass]

One of my favourite albums, I've always found it magical when listened to at night, but much less so in the daytime. Not entirely surprising given the late night radio theme but interesting nontheless.

[lowdown]

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1503106954' post='3355795']
This never gets old..The album is a masterpiece . its so well put together. A true master in music. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5LSRrAwUtA[/media]
[/quote]

This line from Will Lee is great (doubled with Synth).
Someone put up a transcription here.
http://basschat.co.uk/topic/59948-walk-between-the-raindrops/

One of my fave albums as well.
The stunning playing, writing and arranging is just top draw.

I know what SiCbass means by a night album, especially when everyone is in bed...

http://youtu.be/sogYgHlNnqo?list=PLF053611664329823

[paul_5]

[quote name='casapete' timestamp='1503124746' post='3355817']
Never got this album at all - too perfect and clinical for me, lacking in soul -
runs for cover........
[/quote]

Me too, it's just lacking in feel; terminally over produced.

[Happy Jack]

Interesting how this album splits opinion so thoroughly.

For me, this is easily a Top Five favourite and one of the records I tried to play along to most when I was starting on bass.

[BrunoBass]

[quote name='casapete' timestamp='1503124746' post='3355817']
Never got this album at all - too perfect and clinical for me, lacking in soul
[/quote]

I agree, each to their own.

[lee650]

This album changed my life! I was 16 and had just started on bass and was studying drama at the time. A college friend who was a decent keyboard player asked me if id heard of the nightfly at a party and promptly put it on. I completely fell in love with the sound of the album and the bass playing was on another level. He gave me the cassette and it was on constantly (which led to many other iconic albums from Stanley and Weather Report etc). I then decided I wanted to be a bass player and started getting lessons and eventually enrolled in music college, which led to many years as a professional bass player.
Even if you don't like the music,it is a masterclass in bass playing and any player no matter their musical tastes will get something out of this album. It is my favourite and to this day is still constantly listened too. Funnily enough I like to put it on during long journeys,as it brings back happy memories ofrom a long journey to see the love of my life many many years ago (we split up not long after-lol).
If I could ever get close to Marcus Millers fingerstyle tone on the nightfly ill be a happy man.

[AntLockyer]

Definitely in my top 5 most played records.

[pbasspecial]

Sorry but it sounds to me like the Beach Boys tries to do Jazz and fails.

[cybertect]

Count me firmly in the 'love it' camp.

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1503122510' post='3355807']I've not followed Fagen specifically but I liked Steely Dan.[/quote]

[i]The Nightfly[/i] came out when I was fifteen, so I kind of came into Steely Dan backwards by discovering them through this album by Fagen.

Ever since, it's been one of my reference albums when checking out new audio gear (along with [i]Pirates[/i] by Rickie Lee Jones, with which it shares Donald Fagen, Dean Parks, Chuck Rainey and Randy Brecker in the credits). It gets a lot of listens.

[lowdown]

[quote name='cybertect' timestamp='1503141246' post='3355984']
[i]Pirates[/i] by Rickie Lee Jones, with which it shares Donald Fagen, Dean Parks, Chuck Rainey and Randy Brecker in the credit. [b]It gets a lot of listens.[/b]
[/quote]

In my house as well. Super album.

[yorks5stringer]

I've just read the Brian Sweet book , 'Steely Dan'. Interesting chapter about 'Nightfly'. Chuck Rainey only played Bass on 1 track.

I'm also a fan of 'Flying Cowboys' by Rickie Lee Jones produced by Walter Becker. She was naturally wary of him producing given the Becker/Fagan obsession with getting the drum track perfect down to milliseconds and sometimes spending months on just that. In the end Becker said Flying Cowboys was not much more the RLJ's original demos with a few bits added on, like Bass and Drums.

[ivansc]

Without wishing to knock anyone else's opinions, I think you need to "get" all the subtleties and little musical references and also the (for want of a better description) puns and jokes in their stuff to really appreciate it for what it is.
Steely Dan and all its variants have always struck me as being inspired heavily by that period in between the older style jazz stuff I grew up on and the "new" bebop movement.
And don't forget that you are listening to the creme de la creme of musicians being urged (and in Michael McDonalds case wound up ) to excel by Becker and Fagen.
I suppose it all hangs on what your definition of "perfectionist" is. I tend to think of it in terms of getting it right.

Sorry - this turned into a bit of rant, didn't it?

[NickA]

(was) not my kind of music at all ... but it's just SO damned well made. Masterpiece.

Kamakiriad is also quite good, but sadly not in the same league.

Quite like (early) Steely Dan too these days - bought "can't buy a thrill" and thought I'd picked up a "best of" album - as I just somehow knew every song on it.

[bubinga5]

i think this is just fantastic. Tom Barney's bass playing is just...The horn section.. Jon Herringtons guitar solo is just epic. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1VKLM04Dgg[/media]

if its not Incognito its Steely Dan

Edited August 19, 2017 by bubinga5

[lowdown]

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1503164834' post='3356190']
and in Michael McDonalds case wound up [/quote]

3:54. Michael wants to stab Donald.


http://youtu.be/9c74od1sZxo

[HazBeen]

Not heard this in years, I am on the "wow, this is great" side. Now to find the vinyl, must have it stil.....

[lowdown]

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1503170739' post='3356243']
i think this is just fantastic. Tom Barney's bass playing is just...The horn section.. Jon Herringtons guitar solo is just epic. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1VKLM04Dgg[/media]

if its not Incognito its Steely Dan
[/quote]

Yes, great version.
The middle backing singer is Carolyn Leonhart, check out some of her Jazz singing on YouTube, marvellous.

[blue]

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1503128271' post='3355839']


I agree, each to their own.
[/quote]

Yes, each to their own. There are guys that don't get Jaco. I say, " what's not to get?"

Interesting comment coming from me, I don't get Thundercat.

Blue

Edited August 19, 2017 by blue

[songofthewind]

In the eighties this record made me want to switch from guitar to bass. Nuff said.

[BrunoBass]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1503175148' post='3356283']


Yes, each to their own. There are guys that don't get Jaco. I say, " what's not to get?"

Interesting comment coming from me, I don't get Thundercat.

Blue
[/quote]

I don't really get either if I'm honest.

I've tried, believe me I've tried. The luxury of Spotify affords me the opportunity to investigate anything I might want to try and get into, but alas I'm left cold.

I'm not dissing Jaco or Thundercat, they just don't do a thing for me. Isn't it great how subjective music is? 😊

[wateroftyne]

Good tunes and performances, strangled at birth by lifeless, plastic production.