donald fagen, "the nightfly" -- c or d?

according to wikipedia:
The Nightfly is widely considered to be one of the best engineered albums ever made. Some audio engineers use it to evaluate the quality of playback equipment.

Out of curiosity, which other records were used for this purpose? Part of what got me into listening to Steely Dan in the first place was curiosity stemming from this very subject, but I can only remember hearing it come up w/r/t Aja and the Nightfly.

hey, maybe I can use the word "curiosity" a few more times

heard today (in a "taco del mar") a cover of THE FAGEN/NIGHTFLY ARRANGEMENT of "Ruby Baby"

clearly impossible

dude, taco del mar is disgusting!

Anyone check this out?
http://www.amazon.com/Nightfly-Trilogy-3-MVI-DVD-4-CD/dp/B000M06SVS

I think i first heard "Ruby Baby" (and prbly "The New Frontier" as well) at a Wendy's.

I heard "IGY" at a Denny's last month.

God, I wanted to be the kid in "New Frontier," minus the design-learning part.

according to wikipedia:
The Nightfly is widely considered to be one of the best engineered albums ever made. Some audio engineers use it to evaluate the quality of playback equipment.

Out of curiosity, which other records were used for this purpose? Part of what got me into listening to Steely Dan in the first place was curiosity stemming from this very subject, but I can only remember hearing it come up w/r/t Aja and the Nightfly.

Interesting question. I've read this about Dark Side of The Moon, altough i think engineers preferred it as an example of using the full range of the stereo field.

for the second time in less than two weeks I just have heard a car go past on my street blasting "I.G.Y."

I have to say, everything else sounds like shit when played after The Nightfly. It sounds bleeding fantastic on my new system.

Anyone check this out?
http://www.amazon.com/Nightfly-Trilogy-3-MVI-DVD-4-CD/dp/B000M06SVS

just got it today actually! Nightfly is of course gloriously immaculate in 5.1 - strangely enough the mix doesn't do "I.G.Y" any favors, but OH MY GOD "The Goodbye Look" sounds spry and lively as hell. Morph the Cat is a revelation, instantly my favorite Fagen-related project since the Nightfly; I predict that I'll be torturing my neighbors with it for the next few months. Kamakiriad or w/e still bores me so much that it reminds me of middle school, but at least it bores me in 5.1 now.

what are the '10 extra tracks' on disc 4?? what era are they from? are they any good?

The cover of "Ruby Baby" is wondrous.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, March 13, 2006 7:58 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark

Just listened to this in decent headphones for the first time ever and there's a woman sighing (or something) at about 24 seconds.

Unless memory fails -- it's been a while -- that's Valerie Simpson.

Yes, she's definitely on it. It's...erm...added a whole new dimension to the track.

One of the best things about this LP is that it can be found at second hand stores for about 50 cents.

hm. bummer since i just bought it from emusic for, like, 4 bucks.

good album tho

"i hear yr mad about brubeck . . ."

I saw some "Early songs of becker and fagen" record for a couple dollars and didn't pick it up
it was gone the next day
if I see it again should I get it?

The horns on "I.G.Y"...sigh. So wonderful.

Flawless classic.

"Early songs of becker and fagen

nah

Flawless classic.

otm

I love this album more than any in the Steely Dan catalog.

ok this good but lets not get carried away like poor EZ here

I'm a weird Dan fan anyways - my favorite is The Royal Scam and my least favorite is Aja.

I saw some "Early songs of becker and fagen" record for a couple dollars and didn't pick it up
it was gone the next day
if I see it again should I get it?

― puff puff post (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Friday, April 23, 2010 12:31 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

did it have like a reel of tape in a metal case or something on the cover?

i bought that once....you're not missing anything great....i ended up selling it back later on....i guess if it's like $2 just to satisfy your curiosity maybe

MTV used to play the New Frontier video constantly.

I'm trying to think of some solo debut albums from lead singers that are better than this, and there aren't many.

When does the Kamakiriad re-evaluation begin? That will be a tougher sell.

OMG thanks for reminding me of that "New Frontier" video! Just watched it on YouTube and realized it was one of those videos that had seared images in my young, impressionable brain but could never recall what they were from. That whole animated sequence with "the Reds" just took me back to my childhood.

proud that i started this thread... seven years ago...

did it have like a reel of tape in a metal case or something on the cover?

That would be...

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bHSVCs9rX0A/ShuWRawo87I/AAAAAAAAGQc/wUlsXorepBM/s400/Fagen,+Becker,+And+Diaz+-+1971+-+You+Gotta+Walk+It+Like+You+Talk+It+(Or+You%27ll+Lose+That+Beat).jpg

But there are loads of different releases of those early demos around (search Becker and Fagen at Amazon), so if you miss that one you'll probably see another soon enough. They all have practically the same track list: stuff like Brain Tap Shuffle, Let George Do It, Android Warehouse, etc. Think I got one from FOPP for a couple of quid years ago. Wouldn't have paid any more than that for it though. Vaguely interesting if you're into the Dan, but you'll probably never play it more than twice.

does that have soul ram on it? that song is the shit.

this album is at least as good as the best of SD's catalogue.

I could not disagree more strongly.

true, it's better than the best of SD

Not long ago I interviewed drummer Ben Perowsky, who shuttles back and forth between jazz and indie rock; he also played on the Walter Becker album. He said it was hilarious hanging out with him in Hawaii, because Becker had just installed all this absurdly expensive digital equipment in his house and was basically making the album just to test the equipment, and it kept screwing up and erasing entire takes. Every time it did this, Becker would compose these elaborate, scathing emails to the president of Sony, which he would never send.

okay, I'm listening to Gaucho right now (the song), and I retract my statement. aerosmith otm

playing this so much the last two weeks <3 <3 <3

"I saw some "Early songs of becker and fagen" record for a couple dollars and didn't pick it up
it was gone the next day
if I see it again should I get it?

― puff puff post (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Friday, April 23, 2010 12:31 AM (7 months ago) Bookmark"

assuming you meant the You Gotta Walk It Like You Talk It soundtrack, it's worth it for 'Roll Back The Meaning' alone. amazing song

So the cover is basically him pretending to be Mort Fega?

cover of book is revealed:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41bRPFRg0HL._SY300_.jpg

stoked.

I am giving this another shot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRFSc0MBz0s

Ha! Nice scatting & the band is in the pocket. Not sure about the improvised lyrics.

listening for the first time, and whoaa- completely classic. up there with gaucho and aja

otm

feels like what would naturally have happened after gaucho but less cynical. even "the goodbye look" plays it sweet. it's in the class of great SD albums but Aja is an unattainable pinnacle for me tho

Multitracked Fagen on "Ruby Baby" is godhead

the title track kills me

I've got plenty of java
And Chesterfield Kings
But I feel like crying
I wish I had a heart like ice
Heart like ice

there were these DJs I would hear really late on the weekends, these older AM radio guys who were pushed to the 3 AM slot and would spin Sinatra and big band and '50s-'60s classic jazz (nothing fancy or experimental, only as wacky as mid period tony bennett perhaps?) this album reminds me of them I guess.