Track Listing

1. IGY
2. Green Flower Street
3. Ruby Baby
4. Maxine
5. New Frontier
6. Nightfly
7. Goodbye Look
8. Walk Between Raindrops

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16590 in Music
• Released on: 1984-04-24
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Donald Fagen's 1982 solo debut extends the sleek, smart pop craft of his work with Steely Dan into the realm of the concept album, taking the Dan's penchant for intricate plotting, evocative narrative voices, and allusive imagery to the logical next step. Fagen's connective thread is futurist nostalgia for the "New Frontier" as anticipated from the prosperous vantage point of late-'50s America. He romanticises a brave new world of technology in the sultry diorama of "I.G.Y.", celebrating the coming glories of the Atomic Age. He then filters that view through his own suburban adolescence--a would-be seduction in a fall-out shelter, the siren song of a graveyard-shift jazz DJ, a not-quite-hard-boiled noir adventure ("The Goodbye Look") that borrows its title from an early '60s Ross MacDonald mystery. Song for song, the set's a stunner and stands apart from Steely Dan thanks to a unique, poignant romanticism embodied in Fagen's yearning "Maxine" and a creamy update of Dion & the Belmonts' "Ruby Baby". --Sam Sutherland

CD Description
Quality will out. There was no need to put a great big Steely Dan sticker on this smooth little number, the radio programmers took care of that. No tracks jar, each has a big-smile middle eight and although it may be just too slick for some people's taste, mostly it is a tremendous solo album. 'I.G.Y. (International Geophysical Year)', 'New Frontier' and the title track are gloriously easy on the ear. The cover version of Leiber and Stoller's 'Ruby Baby' is so good it soundslike a Fagen original.

Customer Reviews

A Superb Album
Such quality music is rare to find. Donald Fagen is the sound of Steely Dan and this album illustrates his rare talents beautifully. The first of his solo albums, it is difficult to single out individual tracks as stars - I.G.Y.; The Nightfly and The Goodbye Look are particularly good but actually the entire album is such a pleasure to listen to. If you are a Dan fan you will love this but it is a must for anyone's collection.

It says something that every review to date gives this recording 5 stars.

They don't get much better than this.
One of the few must-have albums for that desert island. I was hooked from the first time I heard it. The melodies (remember them?), the tight rhythm section, the brilliantly crafted horn sections and Fagen's trademark vocal style make for a heartfelt album that still has a deep resonance with me, even after 20+ years.

Every song is apparently autobiographical and reflects an experience of growing up in the 50s. Each one is crafted like a master jeweller cuts facets on a diamond, ending up with perfection. There's no dud on the album, and if you think some of the riffs are a bit cheesy - that's exactly what Fagen wants you to think. That was 50s America. Throw in winged and finned cars and a dash of gaudy soda bars and you have the mental imagery behind some of the songs. Just when you think it's going to end that way Fagen takes you down an unexpected and cynical melodical twist, leaving you in no doubt about this man's songwriting or poetic prowess.

There is no question that this is an essential album for true music-lovers that will be an eternal classic.

A great solo album from the 80's...
In between recording with "Walter Becker" the seminal albums "Aja" and "Gaucho" under the banner of "Steely Dan", Donald Fagen recorded this masterpiece of audio art.

The a fore mentioned album called the "The Nightfly" runs at less than 40 minutes long and has 7 self-penned tracks and has 1 track written by the legendary song-writing partnership of "Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, their song "Ruby Baby" is clearly the most commercial sounding on the whole album, the collection was arranged by "Donald Fagen" and on production duties was the same producer as the man who had produced all the "Steely Dan" recordings "Gary Katz".

As the album opens up with the track "I.G.Y." (International Geophysical Year) the "electric piano" playing of "Greg Phillinganes" he creates a retro sound that he manages to duplicate on all the tracks he plays on which is half of the tracks here.
The album if the sleeve notes are to be believed is the dreams of a young man growing up in a remote suburb of a northeastern city during the late 50's and early 60's about the same general height and weight and build as "Mr Fagen"

The problem I have with this album in its current incarnation on C.D. is that the disc that is currently available it has not been re-mastered; a lot of the delicate little touches have been lost that you were quite clearly able hear before on vinyl. I must put forward the case for the artist to go back to the studio and do some sonic renovation so that this classic from the early 80's can be heard as it's meant to be heard.

In closing a great album let down by the current pressing, which is a shame the album is superb and deserves better...