Donald Fagen's 'The Nightfly' (A Personal Masterpiece) That Evoked the Feeling of an Adult Night
My Masterpiece
Thanks to music subscription services, I am going to "note" the "albums I used to be obsessed with" that I have reconnected with after a long time.note."
This time, the one I reconnected with is
Donald Fagen's 'The Nightfly'
A musician from the United States.
A core member of the crossover band "Steely Dan."
A masterpiece of A.O.R. arrives!
After all, it's "A.O.R"!
It's "Adult-Oriented Rock".
When I was in junior high school, my focus was mainly on rock music, but I was also drawn to urban songs that were called "City Pop" or "Urban Pop" in Japan.
Well, actually, hiding it from my rock friends, I was also secretly listening to the quieter side of Western music (Air Supply and Christopher Cross).
This was the album I encountered in that era.
I can't remember whose program it was, but it was introduced on a late-night radio show, saying it was an amazing album...
Steely Dan's core member Donald Fagen created this album, and along with the atmosphere of the jacket, it really made me feel like an "adult."
When I dropped the needle, the first track, "I.G.Y," which starts with a reggae-like rhythm of ♪~n, cha-cha, n, cha♫, was impressive and cool.
The title track, "The Nightfly," is also too cool!
The title "Nightfly" actually refers to a "moth." If it were "night flight," it would mean "nighttime flight," but...
A "moth" dancing in the night might seem like a lackluster title, but if you look at the lyrics, this song is about a radio DJ interacting with listeners over the phone.
The name of the DJ who appears there is Lester "The Nightfly," and that's where it's taken from.
When you think of it that way, it connects to the album jacket, and you can see the concept of the entire album.
"A.O.R" brings to mind Steely Dan and TOTO, Boz Scaggs.
Of course, I love the masterpieces of "A.O.R" from the late 70s, but I was listening to them from my late teens to my 20s, so I didn't hear them in real-time.
Therefore, for me, this album by Donald Fagen, which I heard in real-time, was the gateway.
Listening to 'The Nightfly' reminds me of the late nights I spent in junior high and high school.
"The Nightfly" 2017.8.7
The rarely seen, live Donald Fagen
(I would like to write an article about "A.O.R." on another occasion.)
(My personal "masterpiece for the night")
♫