The Nightfly
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The Nightfly is the first solo album by Steely Dan member Donald Fagen, released in 1982 (see 1982 in music). It was one of the first fully digital recordings. Several of the songs are about events and settings from the 1950s. "I.G.Y." is about the optimism of the International Geophysical Year, "New Frontier" is about a party held in a backyard nuclear bomb shelter ("It's just a dugout that my dad built/ In case the Reds decide to push the button down"), and "The Goodbye Look" is about a revolution on a Caribbean island, possibly Cuba.
The Nightfly is widely considered to be one of the best engineered albums ever made; it is an early full digital recording. Some audio engineers use it to evaluate the quality of playback equipment.
Track listing
All songs by Donald Fagen, except where noted
- "I.G.Y. (International Geophysical Year)" - 6:05
- "Green Flower Street" - 3:40
- "Ruby Baby" (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 5:38
- "Maxine" - 3:50
- "New Frontier" - 6:23
- "The Nightfly" - 5:45
- "The Goodbye Look" - 4:47
- "Walk Between Raindrops" - 2:38
Personnel
- Donald Fagen - organ, synthesizer, harmonica, horn, keyboards, electric piano, vocals, background vocals, synthesizer harp
- Dave Bargeron - trombone, euphonium, horn, background vocals
- Daniel Bazerus - 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 - vocals, 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 Porcaro - drums
- Chuck Rainey - bass
- Zachary Sanders - vocals, background vocals
- Valerie Simpson - vocals, background vocals
- David Tofani - horn, alto saxophone
- Starz Vander Lockett - percussion, background vocals
Production
- Producer: Gary Katz
- Engineers: Daniel Lazerus, Roger Nichols, Elliot Scheiner
- Assistant engineers: Robin Lane, Mike Morongell, Cheryl Smith, Wayne Yurgelun
- Mixing: Elliot Scheiner
- Mastering: Bob Ludwig
- Digital editing assistant: Mike Morongell, Wayne Yurgelun
- Project assistant: Ginger Dettman, Steve Pokorny, Steve Woolard
- Tracking: Elliot Scheiner
- Authoring: David Dieckmann, George Lydecker
- Sequencing: Roger Nichols
- Overdub engineer: Daniel Lazerus
- Horn arrangements: Donald Fagen, Rob Mounsey
- Arranger: Donald Fagen
- Design: Greg Allen
- Art direction: Greg Allen, George Delmerico
- Liner notes: Donald Fagen
- Editorial supervision: Cory Frye
- Photography: James Hamilton
- Screen design: Andrew Thomas
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Black Albums | 24 |
| 1982 | Pop Albums | 11 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | "I.G.Y. (International Geophysical Year)" | Adult Contemporary | 8 |
| 1982 | "I.G.Y. (International Geophysical Year)" | Black Singles | 54 |
| 1982 | "I.G.Y. (International Geophysical Year)" | Mainstream Rock | 17 |
| 1982 | "I.G.Y. (International Geophysical Year)" | Pop Singles | 26 |
| 1983 | "New Frontier" | Adult Contemporary | 34 |
| 1983 | "New Frontier" | Pop Singles | 70 |
See also
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