Donald Fagen – The Nightfly

Where the Chris Bellman and MoFi One Step cuts of The Nighfly represent the best ive heard on vinyl of this incredible recording, this SACD is the best digital version ive heard. While the CD from the Cheap Xmas set sounds amazing the DSD layer here just cleans the top end and expands the soundstage and pinpointing at the same time. Its frankly so good i nearly cried even though ive long known this is one of the best recorded albums of all time bar none and will never not sound it. I really wanted this SACD to be no better than the CD so i could sell it and just have the excellent Cheap Xmas set on my simplified shelf (as i love all Donalds solo stuff) but alas, this SACD goes into my top 5 discs of all time and very possibly is the very best one of the lot. Yeah, i said it alright. Possibly the best sounding digital media disc of ALL TIME.

Widely known as the co-founder of the group Steely Dan, with whom he enjoyed a moderately successful career until their dissolution in 1981, Donald Fagen was thereafter viewed as something of a musical antihero, due in no small part to his reclusive and obsessive disposition. "The Nightfly", released in 1982, was akin to a Steely Dan record in that it retained more or less the same personnel, with the exception of his creative partner Walter Becker, and maintained extremely high standards in of its complex, arduous studio production and lush jazz-pop stylings. Unlike previous Steely Dan ventures, "The Nightfly" was a fully digital recording that took eight months of studio time to complete. The application of new technology in relation to its engineering led to it being practiced as a demo disc for the latest hi-fi systems as well as to test the sound response of pro audio equipment. Ordinarily, such an impeccably recorded low-key pop record would receive an appropriate marketing campaign. Not so. Apart from a ringing endorsement courtesy of the then-emerging audiophile community, Fagen's debut was promoted ineffectively by his label. Nevertheless, it performed reasonably well and was critically acclaimed, receiving Grammy nominations and earning platinum sales.

Given that its subject matter is primarily drawn from youthful recollections perfectly capturing the dynamism, exuberance and optimism of Kennedy's America in the early '60s, the fact that the very audacious autobiographical nature and collateral catharsis of “The Nightfly” had such negative repercussions for Fagen's personal and professional life is quite staggering. From the shimmering title track, which makes palpable references to late-night jazz-induced reverie, to the indelible cover art featuring an uncharacteristically visible Fagen in the guise of a disc-jockey, its thematic stimulus could not be more obvious. Completely devoid of Becker’s incisiveness, the content herein is wonderfully nostalgic and evocative, and although its romantic slant will naturally induce feelings of sentimentality and melancholy, this is easily tempered by Fagen’s cool, street-wise vocal delivery. Far more than simply one of the best sounding recordings of all-time, it isn’t until one absorbs the details of each suburbanite soap opera narrative that its many other merits become discernible. ittedly, its astoundingly detailed and crisp production is the attraction, but the inherent cinematic quality and remarkably refined melodicism of its material assure its durability. In a uniform manner, “The Nightfly” quietly sustains its smooth pop power, with each track as enthusiastic and enthralling as its precursor. Never again would Fagen produce such a winning formula on his solo outings.

Rating: 4.5/5

I'm wondering if this edition is watermarked like the DVD-A?