Description
Nightfly Live –a start-to-finish run-through of the songwriter’s 1982 solo debut. Musically, the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree when it came to Fagen away from Steely Dan but The Nightfly does have a more personal vibe to it; Fagen once called it “vaguely autobiographical”, a concept album that’s equal parts nostalgia for and satire of the baby boomer generation. Presented here, it’s as good as ever, with the horn section adding a warmth that’s absent in the somewhat synth-ier textures of the original, which utilised early digital recording techniques.
What stands out most is how strong a vocalist Fagen remains even in his seventies. His voice is soulful and wry throughout, his phrasing immaculate; Don’s idol, Ray Charles, would be proud. Fagen sounds like he’s having a ball, romping through Leiber & Stoller’s Ruby Baby, and crooning a beautifully blue The Goodbye Look. Fagen’s lyrics almost always contain some amount of cynicism but The Nightfly onstage gives off mostly positive vibrations. “What a beautiful world this will be/What a glorious time to be free,” Fagen sings in the opening IGY. It’s a sentiment that shouldn’t be taken at face value but one can’t help but give in to the naïve optimism as the cooing backup vocals and swelling choruses lift the song into the stratosphere.
