Artist: Donald Fagen

Title: The Nightfly

Cover/Jacket Condition and Grade: NM. No defects noted.

Vinyl Condition and Grade: Still Sealed

Playgrade (unsealed only):

Record Label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs MFSL ULTRA DISC 2 45RPM SEALED RECORDS

Catalog Number or Limited Edition Number (left blank if not applicable): MFSL LE # 2585 of 6000 copies

Additional Attributes, condition, and specifics: See photos and/or condition narrative PLUS!! BRAND NEW 3mil RESEALABLE outer baggy to protect your baby, GRATIS!

** THIS SHIPS WITH EXACT METHOD AND CRADLED IN STRONG BOX CONTAINER AS RECEIVED FROM MANUFACTURER **

Donald Fagen's largely autobiographical The Nightfly remains one of the best-sounding albums ever made. Revered by audiophiles, the Steely Dan co-founder's 1982 set immediately became a demonstration disc at audio salons and hi-fi shows the world over. It also quickly emerged as an irreplaceable monitor-evaluating tool for recording-studio engineers and front-of-the-house testing device for concert-venue soundboard engineers who continue to use it today. Painstakingly recorded over eight months by producer Gary Katz and engineers Roger Nichols and Elliot Scheiner, The Nightfly endures as a rare trifecta of superlative performance, consummate songwriting, and crisp, benchmark production. Mobile Fidelity is honored to give this seminal effort unsurpassed treatment befitting the most serious music connoisseurs.

Fagen's solo debut reaches three-dimensional sonic and emotional heights never before attained on Mobile Fidelity's opulent UD1S (UltraDisc One-Step) box set. Strictly limited to 6,000 numbered copies, this ultra-hi-fi collector's edition literally and figuratively brings you closer to music that picks up where Steely Dan's Gaucho leaves off. You'll enjoy deep-black backgrounds, boundless soundstaging, pointillist details, staggering dynamics, and arguably, the most lifelike tonalities and nuances ever committed to vinyl. Experienced via UD1S, The Nightfly places Fagen and his session pros in your listening room. Every note, breath, and movement is reproduced with exquisite accuracy, wowing clarity, and impeccable balance. Consider this edition your new go-to reference.

The lavish packaging and beautiful presentation of Mobile Fidelity's The Nightfly pressing befit its extremely select status. Housed in a deluxe box, this UD1S version contains special foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the recording. No expense has been spared. Aurally and visually, this reissue of The Nightfly is a curatorial artifact meant to be preserved, poured over, touched, and examined. It is made for discerning listeners that prize sound quality and creativity, and who desire to fully immerse themselves in the art – and everything involved with the album, from the images to the textures and liner notes.

Nominated for seven Grammy Awards, The Nightfly "represent[s] certain fantasies that might have been entertained by a young man growing up in the remote suburbs of a northeastern city during the late fifties and early sixties, i.e., one of my general height, weight, and build," pens Fagen in the liner notes, revealing the work's thematic thrust and wistful, nostalgic appeal. At their core, songs look at the world via an optimistic, mindfully innocent lens and through the eyes of an adolescent holed up in his bedroom with his ear to a radio whose exciting transmissions inspire thoughts of futuristic cities, late-night deejays, otherworldly hopes, and Cold War romances. Cinema for the ears, The Nightfly comes on like a film transferred to wax – its stories filled with relatable vulnerability, ambition, and warmth.

It is also timelessly cool, with everything from the iconic album cover – complete with Fagen in the role of a cigarette-smoking disk jockey spinning a Sonny Rollins album on an RCA turntable at 4:09 in the morning – to the flawless playing honoring the laid-back, hip, stylish jazz pedigree of the arrangements. Indeed, The Nightfly's fame owes as much to the stunning contributions by stellar musicians – saxophonist Michael Brecker, trumpeter Randy Brecker, guitarist Larry Carlton, drummer Steve Jordan, bassist Marcus Miller, drummer Jeff Porcaro, and "Harmonica Frank" Floyd included – as it does the particulars behind its creation, which involved cutting-edge technology, novel microphone techniques, and pioneering recording methods that gave Fagen exactly what he demanded. His insistence on dialing in exacting drum sounds is by itself the stuff of legend.

The results of the meticulous sessions transcend eras and generations – part of its very design. Virtually every track connects with classic 50s and 60s styles. "Green Flower Street" doubles as an homage to the jazz standard "On Green Dolphin Street." The title track draws imagery from blues pioneer Charley Patton. "Ruby Baby" references soul greats the Drifters. "Maxine" nods to harmonies perfected by big-band vocal quartets like the Four Freshmen. "The Goodbye Look" acknowledges the bossa-nova craze of Fagen's youth. In all respects, The Nightfly rules the airwaves.

   OUR COLLECTION

    During our vinyl enthusiast journey spanning 4 decades, we have been avid collectors of fine vinyl and WE HAVE ONLY ALLOWED THE BEST POSSIBLE COLLECTIBLE VINYL TO ENTER OUR COLLECTION. PERIOD. We are VERY, VERY PICKY (like you!) and are VERY SELECTIVE. If you are looking for the best vinyl & ethically sound practices, NO WORRY PACKAGING - look no further. This is not only our main hobby, but also a passion for fine audiophile pressings and equipment. It is a long process to part with some of our many duplicates, one of a kind, “babies”, some are play copies – and offer the best of the best. We still enjoy collecting, but at the same time try to downsize our record cabinets.

     They have been stored carefully, upright, smoke free, and ALL in protective sleeves in secured custom made cabinets. 

GRADING

We use Goldmine standards for guidance; the record carries almost all the value weight, and the cover too has utmost significant importance in defining price. Our time is valuable, like yours, and it is our goal to provide the best experience with your vinyl purchase. Please see our feedback – we have not had any issues with defects from opened sealed/OOP records for your comfort level. In over 180 high $$ audiophile record transactions, we have had only PRAISES about our grading, and folks LOVE our packaging methods.

Near Mint (NM) is the highest grade we use for sealed or unsealed. We have “rarely” seen anything in life that is “mint.”

UNSEALED/OPENED: Our unsealed “play-grade” is conservative, (in our humble opinion) detailed, & concise utilizing a VPI Classic 1; JMW 12/3 Tonearm; Ortofon Quintet BRONZE MC Cart @ 2.3 grams.   

SEALED: Grading for these collectible and/or sealed records are only for the outer cover/jacket only, since we cannot determine grade for something that is not open. In these instances for these collectible SEALED RECORDS, we are offering a sealed pressing with flaws/defects indicated on the cover only, if any. This is a standard amongst the vinyl community.

      VPI-16.5 CLEANED (UNSEALED ONLY

     All unopened records are “play ready” and will have been cleaned using Mobile Fidelity products “Deep Clean” and “Superwash” and our methodology to keep the record in pristine condition.

PAYMENT : Payment is due immediately after "BUY IT NOW" or within 24 hours of auction end.

GENERAL SHIPPING / PACKAGING

We use brand new proper Whiplash LP mailers on most purchases, they cost $1.25 each and are included in the shipping & handling costs. At our discretion we may use a different box to ensure safe arrival.

-       OPENED VINYL: your vinyl will be packaged well, in a LP mailer (similar or better) ;-).  Rest assured it will be well protected, and if it is an unsealed record, it will be shipped outside of the jacket to avoid seam splits and sandwiched between oversized stiffeners.  Sometimes we ship in an older jacket to further protect your purchase.

-    SEALED RECORDS: we do not open and will be reinforce tightly to ensure safe arrival, and ensure record does not “shift” while in transit, which results in unwanted seam splits.   Our packaging methods eliminates that worry!

-    PHOTOGRAPH PACKAGING – We photograph all packaging steps and send them to you after we print the shipping label to protect both parties while in transit.

-       COMBINING SHIPPING – We can combine shipping on a case-by-case basis, depending on where it’s going and grand total. Did you know that if your package becomes injured by the carrier while in transit that have multiple combined records, the carrier will want you to surrender the ENTIRE package contents only if 1 record is damaged? That’s why we use discretion on high dollar vinyl and we will work with you on the shipping costs if we determine they will be shipped separately.

     INSURANCE

     Insurance protects your purchase against the CARRIER if THEY are negligible and damage it while in transit.  If that happens, please be patient when you file the claim. You must let the carrier & us know that day of receipt if there is visible damage to the outer box. WE do OUR job and package it well (REST ASSURED OUR PACKAGING WONT BE AN ISSUE – WE USE THE BEST METHODS & BEST LP MAILERS). Insurance is INCLUDED IN THE SHIPPING PRICE TO protect both parties interests!

   "RETURN POLICIES"

SHIPPING

READ THE USPS CLAIM PROCEDURES BEFORE YOU RECEIVE YOUR VINYL PACKAGE: Please click on the following links below to know the procedures in the event of a USPS MISHAP/DAMAGE CLAIM PRIOR TO ARRIVAL OF YOUR VINYL RECORD.  Most people don’t know this, but if the buyer (and seller) are not familiar with the US Postal Service's strict "terms & conditions" of insurance claims, they will deny the claim if they are not followed to a tee- and the insurance becomes invalid. First: retain ALL packing materials, all receipts, and make note of damage upon arrival to USPS and to us. Take photos of packaging and interior, and damage of record. Read USPS "filing a domestic claim" & "regulations" before your vinyl arrives and after if you need to file a claim: 1) 2)

PLEASE CHECK BACK OFTEN!