If my teenage self were to materialise in my house right now and have a flick through my record collection he would likely be horrified to find records like this in there. But that teenager was utterly focussed on Punk and New Wave and, quite rightly, evangelical about that music to the exclusion of all others, especially music like this that was regarded by him as the realm of Hippies and his contemporaries in the 6th form common room with the ex army great-coats, long hair and funny cigarettes. But in every facet of your life, things can change…

During the 1990’s my brother Miles became firm friends with Britain’s top light entertainer and singer, one Vic Reeves (or Jim Moir as his family know him). Now Vic/Jim is a big Prog Rock fan and in an attempt to turn Miles on to that particular style had made him a compilation CD of some of his favourites. Miles, whether trying to get rid of said CD or thinking if he was having to suffer it then so should someone else (sorry proggers but no matter how much things can change Prog Rock will never become part of my musical landscape), passed the CD on to me. The only three artists I remember now were Blodwyn Pig and Henry Cow, purely because of their ridiculous names, and Fairport Convention. And the reason I remember Fairport Convention were on there is because the track Vic/Jim included was Sandy Denny’s tour de force “Who Knows Where The Time Goes”, it absolutely floored me.

I knew nothing of Fairport Convention prior to hearing this song other than someone my Dad knew when he was younger played with them (Dave Swarbrick). To hear Sandy Denny’s angelic voice for the first time, to hear its rise and fall as she works through the song (when she lifts the first line of the last chorus “For who knows, how my love grows?” you wonder where she’s going with it and she settles back to where it should be, masterful singing) and all that set against some of Richard Thompson’s finest playing, well I'll say it again, it absolutely floored me.

The album itself is something of a muddled concoction of what is to come (the song we’ve already met and the English folk of “A Sailor’s Life” and “Percy’s Song”) alongside some bits of (US) folk revival type stuff (Dylan’s “If You Gotta Go, Go Now” sung in French as “Si Tu Dois Partir” and “Million Dollar Bash”). It all comes together for them later in 1969 with “Liege And Lief”.

Who Knows Where The Time Goes - https://youtu.be/OkOB57UcYk8

Now the presence of this one in my collection even surprises me, and others I know have expressed surprise too !

Donald Fagen, for those unsure, was the singer with Steely Dan, another band I’ve come to appreciate more with age. 1982’s “The Nightfly” was Donald’s first solo album following Steely Dan’s split the previous year. It took 8 months to record between studios spreading from New York to Los Angeles and, I’ve recently discovered, is a very early example of a fully digitally recorded album.

Which might explain something that drew me into this record…it sounds bloody fantastic! Now I’m sure there are many analogue purists out there sniffing and huffing at that statement, but it’s true. It sounds so clean and spacious and I marvel at the overall sound every time I play it (it was a favourite demo record in Hi-Fi shops unsurprisingly). Production isn’t usually something that overly influences whether I like something or not (one of my favourite singles is “Green Fuz” by Randy Alvey & The Green Fuz who’s production value’s fall somewhere less than 0, go have a listen) it’s all about the songs and the performance for me, but there is something sparkling and shiny about the sound of “The Nightfly” that my ears find pleasing.

It’s not just the production tho’, the songs within ain’t half bad either…yes there’s a hint of supper club inoffensiveness about the whole thing but that shouldn’t detract from the quality and the work that went into making these songs shine. Opening song “I.G.Y” (it stands for International Geophysical Year, an international science project which ran from 1957 to 1958) is somewhat cod reggae in style but the reference to the science project sets a starting time frame for the themes of the songs. The album is supposedly autobiographical in subject matter, dealing with Fagen’s childhood although he has downplayed this angle in later years. All the backtracking you can manage doesn’t erase the note on the albums lyric sheet:

“Note: The songs on this album represent 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.”

It’s undeniable however that the influences at play here are centred around the 50’s and 60’s. There’s echoes of Jazz, Doo-Wop (“Maxine”), Bossa Nova (“The Goodbye Look”) and R & B (“Ruby Baby” based around a Drifters tune). The lyrics speak of late night radio DJ’s (“The Nightfly” obviously) and hanging out with girls in your family fall out shelter (“New Frontier” which sees the return of the cod reggae feel).

The lyrics are noticeably less sardonic than those of Steely Dan but as Walter Becker (the other half of the Dan) was mainly responsible for those withering couplets that shouldn’t be a surprise. The whole album is precisely played, by some of the best session musicians around at the time, precisely recorded and represents a style that I would usually turn my nose up at…but I love it.

New Frontier - https://youtu.be/X_xRlpqzl-I

There are two reasons I own this record. The first is the sleeve image (taken from an appearance on the short lived UK TV show "2G's And The Pop People" in July 1972) which features my Uncle Bill wielding his French Horn while wearing a vest bearing the legend “Old Hill Plaza”. I believe that Old Hill Plaza was a venue frequented by both my Uncle Bill and his elder brother, my Dad at different times. It was a dance hall a few miles from Dudley run by a formidable lady known as Ma Regan. It had a revolving stage which was at various times graced by not only my Dad and Uncle but also by The Beatles and the Rolling Stones. 

The second reason is that the record is pink. It’s a pretty run of the mill compilation which for some reason in the Netherlands (and nowhere else !) it was decided to issue it on pink vinyl. That allied to the sleeve image means I had to own it.

A bunch of singles (“10538 Overture”, “Showdown” and “Roll Over Beethoven”) and a few random album tracks make it up. The accompanying video was shot on that short lived TV show the cover picture comes from and Uncle Bill and his vest get a close up right at the start.

10538 Overture - https://youtu.be/uROMwJ-4RYo