Donald Fagen's 1982 solo debut, The Nightfly, extends the sleek, smart pop craft of his work with Steely Dan into the realm of the concept album. Taking Steely Dan's penchant for intricate plotting, evocative narrative voices, and allusive imagery to the logical next step, Fagen crafts a nostalgic vision of the "New Frontier" as imagined from the prosperous vantage point of late-'50s America. The album romanticizes the technological optimism of the Atomic Age in tracks like "I.G.Y.," while reflecting on suburban adolescence through stories of would-be seductions in fallout shelters, late-night jazz DJs, and noir-inspired tales such as "The Goodbye Look"—a title borrowed from a 1960s Ross MacDonald mystery. Song for song, the album stands as a masterpiece, distinguished from Steely Dan by its poignant romanticism, highlighted in "Maxine" and a silky rendition of Dion & the Belmonts' "Ruby Baby".

• Artist: Donald Fagen
• Genre: Jazz, Rock

• Audio: Audio CD