The Nightfly Studio album by Donald Fagen Released October 29, 1982 Recorded 1981-82 Soundworks Digital Audio/Video Recording Studios, N.Y., Village Recorders, L.A. and Automated Sound, N.Y Genre Rock, jazz rock Length 38:46 Label Warner Bros. The Nightfly is the first solo album by Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen, released in 1982. It was one of the first fully digital recordings of popular music.[1][dead link] Although The Nightfly includes a number of production staff and musicians who had played on Steely Dan records, it is notably Fagen's first release without longtime collaborator Walter Becker. Unlike the majority of Fagen's work before this point, The Nightfly is almost blatantly autobiographical. Many of the songs relate to the cautiously optimistic mood of his suburban childhood in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and include such lyrical topics as late night jazz deejays, bomb shelters, and tropical vacations. The Nightfly was certified Platinum in both the US and UK, and produced two popular hits with "I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World)" and "New Frontier". It also received several 1983 Grammy Award nominations. This relatively low-key but long-lived popularity led the Wall Street Journal in 2007 to dub the album, "one of pop music's sneakiest masterpieces." The Nightfly was met with almost universally positive reviews. Rolling Stone, The Village Voice[10] and Uncut[11] all gave the album high marks. Jason Akeny of AllMusic rated The Nightfly at 4 and 1/2 out of a possible 5 stars, calling it "lush and shimmering, produced with cinematic flair by Gary Katz; romanticized but never sentimental... crafted with impeccable style and sophistication." All songs by Donald Fagen, except where noted
01 "I.G.Y." – 6:03 02 "Green Flower Street" – 3:42 03 "Ruby Baby" (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller), Arranged by Donald Fagen – 5:39 04 "Maxine" – 3:49 05 "New Frontier" – 6:21 06 "The Nightfly" – 5:47 07 "The Goodbye Look" – 4:50 08 "Walk Between Raindrops" – 2:38
Bonus tracks, from The Nightfly Trilogy MVI Boxed Set
Donald Fagen - organ, synthesizer, synth-harmonica, keyboards, electric piano, vocals, background vocals Dave Bargeron - trombone, euphonium, horn, background vocals Michael Brecker - tenor saxophone Randy Brecker - trumpet, flugelhorn Larry Carlton - guitar Ronnie Cuber - horn, baritone saxophone Rick Derringer - guitar Frank "Harmonica Frank" Floyd - background vocals James Gadson - drums Ed Greene - drums Gordon Grody - vocals, background vocals Anthony Jackson - bass Steve Jordan - drums Steve Khan - acoustic guitar Abraham Laboriel - bass Daniel Lazerus - background vocals Will Lee - bass Hugh McCracken - guitar, harmonica Leslie Miller - background vocals Marcus Miller - bass Rob Mounsey - synthesizer, horn, keyboards Roger Nichols - percussion, special effects Michael Omartian - piano, keyboards, electric piano Dean Parks - guitar Greg Phillinganes - synthesizer, piano, keyboards, electric piano, clavinet, synthesizer bass Jeff Porca