The Nightfly

Steely Dan's Donald Fagen was nominated for a grammy in 1982 for his The Nightfly. Toto won, but I think Fagen got robbed; over the years this disc has retained its position on my favorites list, and I still consider it one of the best discs made in the last 30 years.

It's a tribute to growing up in suburbia in the Eisenhower years. Before my time, but hardly beyond my appreciation. There's the marimba. I.G.Y--International Geophysical Year, the bittersweet, sardonic voice and ironic lyrics dedicated to the overly optimistic 1959 visions of a Jetsons future side-by-side with Cold War visions of dancing with a beautiful blonde in a backyard bomb shelter.

"She loves to limbo, that much is clear. She's got the right dynamic for the New Frontier."