Donald Fagen's Nightfly - Love it or Hate it?

I suspect the human element is lost or reduced when something becomes so perfect that every drumbeat is identical. Sometimes it is the little imperfections or slight variations that give feeling to music... a little emphasis here, a little restraint there. There is a mechanical or machine like sound to the drumming on this album....stunning album, without a doubt, but unsettling to those who fear the Borg ;-)

Couldn't have said it much better. Donald Fagen's albums always seemed like most of the emotion, that was there in the creation of the album, was lost during the recording and production.

Interestingly, I am a perfectionist myself and a scientist (hate to admit it), but music is providing a balancing force in life for me on the other side. With Donald Fagen I am missing a little the spontaneous emotion that is there in the creation of any type of art. In music, I need to capture and experience some of that raw artistic energy.

Hope this helps clarify my notion of "too perfect".

Rene

Hope this helps clarify my notion of "too perfect".

Sorry, we'er going to have to agree to disagree on both the estimation of emotion and the definition of "too perfect"! ;-)

Sorry, we're going to have to agree to disagree on both the estimation of emotion and the definition of "too perfect"! ;-)

Of course, emotional connection is very listener dependent :-) .

But I will make sure to put Donal Fagen on my table tonight. Interestingly, I even own two copies of Nightfly (CD and Vinyl)....

All the best,

Rene

Are we listening to the same LP? The Borg? Wow.

I accept Nightfly is a milestone recording along with DSOTM, Roxy Music Avalon and other great recordings out there. Musically it is great too...great piano, great vocals and great melodies.

My beef with the drumming is really a minor aspect.

As for the Borg.....just trying to resist assimulation of the machines, which are reponsible for "polishing" so much of what we hear today on commercial CD's (if you have been disappointed by a live performance then you know what I mean).

I love the Nightfly but have to agree with some comments about the drum sound making the overall feel a wee bit mechanical.