Dubbed “one of pop music’s sneakiest masterpieces” due to its low-key but lasting popularity, Donald Fagen’s post-Steely Dan solo debut The Nightlfy is a semi-autobiographical concept album looking back to simpler times. A note from Fagen is included in the liner notes: “The songs on this album represent certain fantasies that might have been entertained by a young man growing up in the remote suburbs of a northeastern city during the late fifties and early sixties, i.e., one of my general height, weight, and build…” All the classic Steely Dan-isms are here: countless studio musicians, perfectionist production, complex harmonies, diverse lyrical subjects; the key difference is that the songs are a bit more personal, romantic and less cryptic than typical Steely Dan. The Nightfly was also one of the first albums to be recorded entirely digitally, resulting in a more crisp, contemporary sound that laid the foundation for all digitally recorded pop albums to come.
Recommended – A1 I.G.Y (International Geophysical Year), B1 New Frontier, B2 The Nightfly
A1 I.G.Y (International Geophysical Year)
A2 Green Flower Street
A3 Ruby Baby
A4 Maxine
B1 New Frontier
B2 The Nightfly
B3 The Goodbye Look
B4 Walk Between Raindrops
Arranged By [Horns] – Donald Fagen, Rob Mounsey
Art Direction – George Delmerico
Backing Vocals – Daniel Lazerus (tracks: A2), Frank Floyd (tracks: A1, A2, B2), Gordon Grody (tracks: A1), Leslie Miller (tracks: B4), Starz Vanderlocket (tracks: B1), Valerie Simpson (tracks: A1, A2, A3, B2, B3), Zack Sanders* (tracks: A1, A2, B2)
Bass – Abraham Laboriel (tracks: B1), Anthony Jackson (tracks: A1, A3), Chuck Rainey (tracks: A2), Marcus Miller (tracks: A4, B2, B3), Will Lee (tracks: B4)
Drums – Ed Green* (tracks: A4, B1), James Gadson (tracks: A1, A3), Jeff Porcaro (tracks: A1, A2, A3, B2, B3), Steve Jordan (tracks: B4)
Engineer [Assistant] – Cheryl Smith, Mike Morongell*, Robin Lane*, Wayne Yurgelun*
Engineer [Chief] – Roger Nichols
Engineer [Digital Maintenance, 3M] – Bill Roach, Jiri Donovsky
Engineer [Digital Maintenance, Soundworks] – Mike Morongell*, Wayne Yurgelun*
Engineer [Overdub] – Daniel Lazerus
Euphonium – Dave Bargeron (tracks: A4)
Flugelhorn – Randy Brecker (tracks: A3, A4)
Guitar – Dean Parks (tracks: A2, B3), Hugh McCracken (tracks: A1, A3, B2), Larry Carlton (tracks: A2, A3, A4, B1, B2, B3, B4), Rick Derringer (tracks: A2, B2), Steve Khan (tracks: B3)
Harmonica – Hugh McCracken (tracks: B1)
Lacquer Cut By – RL*
Liner Notes – D.F.*
Mastered By [Original Mastering, Masterdisk, N.Y.C.] – Bob Ludwig
Percussion – Roger Nichols (tracks: A1), Starz Vanderlocket (tracks: A1, A2, B1, B3)
Photography By – James Hamilton (5)
Piano – Greg Phillinganes (tracks: A1, A2, A3, A4, B3), Michael Omartian (tracks: A3, B1, B2)
Producer – Gary Katz
Saxophone – Dave Tofani (tracks: A1, A4), Michael Brecker (tracks: A1, A3, A4), Ronnie Cuber (tracks: A1, A4)
Sequenced By, Percussion, Effects [Special Effects] – Roger Nichols, Wendel II
Set Designer [Set Design And Construction] – Gale Sasson, Vern Yenor
Synthesizer – Greg Phillinganes (tracks: B3, B4), Rob Mounsey (tracks: A1, A2, B2)
Synthesizer, Synth [Synth Blues Harp] – Donald Fagen (tracks: A1)
Tracking By, Mixed By [Mixdown] – Elliot Scheiner
Trombone – Dave Bargeron (tracks: A1)
Trumpet – Randy Brecker (tracks: A1, A3)