Can't Buy A Thrill

Product Details

Artist : Steely Dan
Format : Original recording remastered
Binding : Audio CD
EAN : 0008811188627
Label : Universal , Island
Number of Discs : 1
Product Group : Music
Release Date : 1999-07-13
Running Time : 41minutes
UPC : 008811188627

ASIN : B00000DI0I

Track Listings for

Disc-1
1. Do It Again
2. Dirty Work
3. Kings
4. Midnite Cruiser
5. Only A Fool Would Say That
6. Reelin' In The Years
7. Fire In The Hole
8. Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me)
9. Change Of The Guard
10. Turn That Heartbeat Over Again

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

Songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen launched Steely Dan with a seductive, poker-faced 1972 debut as smoothly accessible in its music as it was elusive in its thematic concerns. The opening "Do It Again" snagged swift commercial success as one of the most mysterious pop hits in history, a sultry rock cha-cha that chronicled a series of harrowing catastrophes far removed from the reheated love songs and pro forma counter-cultural rebellion of the day. Though the core band boasted two formidable guitarists, Jeff Baxter and Denny Dias, it was the bloom of Fagen's keyboards and his reedy, smart-ass vocals that carried Thrill light years beyond modal, blues-based rock. That said, an enduring highlight remains the furious six-string fantasia of "Reelin' in the Years", spiked by Elliot Randall's downright historic solos, at once dour and giddy in its indictment of a poser, while "Dirty Work" (featuring short-lived, nominal lead singer David Palmer) offers a decidedly adult vignette of adultery. There isn't a weak track here, astonishing, considering how much growth future Dan albums would display. --Sam Sutherland

Description

This is the album that introduced Donald Fagen and Walter Becker's unique, idiosyncratic, and highly polished craftsmanship. Although CAN'T BUY A THRILL lacks the overtly jazzy tendencies that would define albums like AJA, it distinguishesitself from nearly all of the mainstream pop and rock of the era with its smooth, lounge-y feel, catchy hooks, and immaculate studio polish. They were played alongside the Doobie Brothers and the Eagles on '70s FM radio, but Steely Dan's sound was more self-conscious and sophisticated than its peers: this was postmodern R&B, dressed up in a tuxedo, and holding an advanced degree.
The album's hit single "Do It Again" is textbook Dan, with its slinky, Latin-touched groove, expansive, minor key melody, and shimmering veneer. Fagen's quirky vocals grace the track, and the record's other hit, the chugging "Reeling In the Years", with its memorable looping guitar riff, but several cuts here feature the vocals of David Palmer, whose sincere, straightforward pop-soul approach seems at odds with the band's aesthetic. Even so, CAN'T BUY A THRILL sparkles, and is the first impressive notch for a band whose output would continue to improve.

Customer Reviews

First thrill (2008-03-19)

Steely Dan's first album, like many first albums, suggests that they haven't settled on their approach. Yet this is to its advantage. While they seem to make only great albums, this is more the work of a rock band, rather than the usual Becker/Fagen dominated jazz-inflected musings. Sure, they wrote all the material here, but the other band members are allowed a more prominent role. The lead vocals of David Palmer, for instance, highlight that Donald Fagen's voice, while distinct, is probably Steely Dan's weakest link. Nevertheless, this is a minor gripe. From first track to last, this is solid-groove rock music, sophisticated, lyrically and musically imaginative, with the odd daring arrangement. All of the players get to express themselves and the harmonies are superb. The lyrics, without being belligerent, pull no punches. 'Do It Again' dives straight into murder. That there are two big hits is a bonus, but 'Can't Buy A Thrill' doesn't depend on these tracks. This is the best Steely Dan album to start with and is arguably their best.

STUPENDOUS ALBUM! (2008-01-05)

Walter Becker & Donald Fagen, chief members & songwriters of Steely Dan, apparently do not rate this, the group's 1972 debut, very highly, dismissing it as purely 'formative.'As a mere listener, however, I discern much more: 'if you listen, you can hear it' - depth, range, variety, style, structure, poetry, and, above all, that elusive element which gradually diminished as their career flourished - melody, here at a consistently high level throughout the 10 tracks. Consistency is equally evident in the lyrics, the theme of REPETITION being echoed again & again - 'you go back, Jack, do it again', 'you have sent the maid home early, like a thousand times before', 'ring out the past - his name lives on', 'for one more time let your madness run with mine', 'you've been telling me you're a genius since you were seventeen', etc etc.DO IT AGAIN, the album's opening & most enduring track, is a particularly hypnotic & infectious slice of urban frenzy, with a monotonous undertone - an anthem of our times, if ever there was one. The protagonist (actually YOU, suggesting WE) commits a crime ('you go gunning for the man who stole your water'), gets caught ('they catch you at the border'), is let off ('the hangman isn't hanging') & promptly goes out and 'does it again.' Sound familiar? Subsequent verses tell of lies, gambling, betrayal & grudging acknowledgment - a pettern of (mis)behaviour that serves to create a vicious circle (the infernal 'wheel turning round & round').Other tracks offer similar scenarios, where past experiences & present predicaments meet head-on in ways the listener cannot fail to recognise & feel challenged by:DIRTY WORK - 'I'm a fool to do your dirty work.' Moral: don't let people use you.KINGS - 'And though we sang his fame, we still went hungry, just the same.' Lesson: don't follow false idols.MIDNITE CRUISER - Missing the 'fun' days? Then, re-create them.ONLY A FOOL WOULD SAY THAT - 'A world where all is free?' Forget it, it 'just couldn't be.'REELING IN THE YEARS - 'Stowing away the time?' Better to live for now - 'no time is better than'(it).FIRE IN THE HOLE - 'And nothing left to burn.' Time to re-fuel.BROOKLYN - A less mature (& coherent) vision - it was written some years earlier - this is supposedly aimed at neighbours who the singer feels do not conform to his pattern of behaviour or ideology, but it's all rather cryptic, in truth.CHANGE OF THE GUARD - 'If you wanna get through the years, it's high time you played your card' - seize the chance, while it's here.TURN THAT HEARTBEAT OVER AGAIN - Another fairly inscrutable lyric - pergaps a warning to keep promises.The overall impression is of a world that is continually turning, but where nothing really changes - everything just repeats itself, resulting in stalemate. But the music is anything but stale. It's fresh, inspired, inventive - &, as noted, richly melodic & satisfying. All in all, a stupendous album whose message is as real & relevant today as ever.Just a brief mention for David Palmer, lead vocalist on DIRTY WORK & BROOKLYN. His contribution is often neglected, sometimes derided, but I think he does a great job on both tracks, providing a pleasant contrast to Donald Fagen's raspier delivery.

One of the true classic "must have" albums (2007-04-03)

If this album just contained "Reelin' in the years" and "Do it again" plus dross it would still be worth buying, but it doesn't. It is 100% brilliant. Every track is a gem, there is always something new to hear and enjoy.One of the great debut albums and a collection that stands the test of time. Whenever I hear the intro to "Reelin'" I just smile. Sheer heaven.

Who says you Can't Buy a Thrill ? (2006-07-26)

Where has this type of music gone? Smart lyrics, artfully composed tuneful songs, instrumental virtuosity. Steely Dan's 1972 debut was way before its time and remains fresh and challenging today as a standard for pop music. The Dan have never bettered Thrill, although Countdown to Ecstasy, Pretzel Logic and Aja come pretty close. Thrill features two modern rock standards that everyone knows - Do It Again and Reeling in the Years - they got lots of airplay in spite of being more than 3 minutes in length with extended guitar solos, but every track is catchy and memorable showing a range of rock, blues, jazz and Latin beat. What Fagen's vocals lack in musicality they more than make up with irony, phrasing and style and the baxter/ dias guitar partnership (with elliott randall guesting) is awesomely powerful. There are lots of quirky Becker/Fagen originals - Dirty Work and Brooklyn superb melodic ballads sung by david palmer with fagen on keyboard, to the uptempo rockier Kings and Change of the Guard. Dan were undoubtedly the coolest band of their day and their work remains accessible to pop and serious rock listeners alike. Check it out. File under "indispensibly smooth".

A stunning piece of artistry! (2006-05-26)

This the debut album from Walter Becker and Dolald Fagen, now legends among those with any musical taste. It hosts such classic tracks as 'Do It Again' 'Dirty Work' and 'Only A Fool' which have stood the test of time!I wouldn't say this album is my favourite of all time but it is definitely in the Top 1! I can sit back and listen to it, whatever mood i'm in! Although the best time is a Sunday afternoon, when there's nothing to do and all day to do it, you can truly appreciate Steely Dans raw entry into the musical world and pick out the intricate melodies intertwining in a way that music never had before and never will again. This album is an Absoloubte work of Genius!Very Highly Recommended and at such a cheap price - can you afford not to?Rock On

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