CAN'T BUY A THRILL

Steely Dan's debut album way back in 1972 with arguably their most stable line up!For a band famous for hiring and firing musicians...Can't Buy a Thrill has all the characteristics as to why this band would evolve to more jazz influenced rock, but in essence this first album set such a high standard for the band it was extremely hard for them to make anything of lower quality. These guys ( Walter Becker and Donald Fagen) are and were even back in 1972 perfectionists so much so they experienced plenty of attrition in terms of session players and guest musicians as alluded to above. The album kicks off with the hugely popular Do It Again, great funky groove, slick sultry vocals and a great chorus line. Dirty Work follows and is the typical kind of SD song that was to surface on many future albums, slightly off key vocals from Fagen, the jazz influences all present. Only A Fool Would Say that another great song with such clever lyrics, satirical would be an apt description. Reelin In The Years is arguably one of SD's most memorable singles and in many respects quite unlike most of their work. More kind of Rock and Roll, this song has so much nostalgia attached to the lyrics, it is I think for this reason so many people relate to it. Change Of The Guard is another fine song. I guess summing up Can't Buy A Thrill it is hard not giving it a five star rating because it is a milestone in rock, unique American progressive sounds that influenced so many other bands yet true to it's original form. Unique and of such high standard, it's only drawback is that follow up studio releases from Steely Dan were even better.

Naming a band after a dildo in William Burroughs's novel "Naked Lunch" is definitely a radical, humorous act but it pretty much set the tone for the unorthodox direction this "group" would boldly take in the decades to come. I loosely apply the term "group" because Steely Dan is really more of a conceptual project put together by keyboardist Donald Fagin, bassist/guitarist Walter Becker and wiz- kid producer Gary Katz than a normal rock and roll band. Katz's relocating the two musician/songwriters from New York to Los Angeles in 1972 had to be a severe, overwhelming culture shock for them both but it also proved to be the most significant turning point in their creative careers. It landed them smack dab in the middle of the whirlwind of tradition-smashing, wholesale changes occurring minute by minute in the music world of the early 70s.

That being said, their debut, "Can't Buy a Thrill," is the least progressive album they ever made. After years of honing their craft by trying to write hit songs for other artists like Barbara Streisand, this calculated collection represents the Top 40 pop mentality they had been forced into by the industry. But the cold, hard fact was that widespread airplay was the name of the game and the overnight success of the opener, "Do It Again," put them on the map and it sent this album soaring into the top 20 of the crowded LP charts. As a reviewer, the catchy tune has been so overplayed that I can't be objective about it at all. I'll admit that I never liked it all that much, though. It offers the first exposure to Fagin's unique voice but the song's absolute lack of dynamics makes it difficult for me to sit through. I'm no fan of the faux sitar effect. Its overextended ride, along with the boring, cheap-sounding organ solo, leaves me unimpressed (although it places me in the minority of society as it peaked on the singles charts at #6). Next up is "Brooklyn," a good pop ditty but far from being progressive. Singer David Palmer has a passable but nondescript voice on display here and the inclusion of the dreaded C&W-style steel guitar tends to make me cringe.

I've always admired "Dirty Work" for being a well-crafted tune with a nice horn arrangement but, unfortunately, it shows its age and won't attract the attention of many proggers. The obligatory saxophone solo is routine, at best. "Kings" is a return to Donald's svelte vocal tones and at least the number's arrangement is somewhat unconventional but overall it's a weak entry despite Denny Dias' cool guitar ride. "Change of the Guard" is a better song but it still resides firmly in the pop category. The strong electric guitar break is worth mentioning. Palmer mans the microphone again on the pedestrian "Midnight Cruiser" with the usual droll results and it marks the nadir of the proceedings. Even the dull guitar solo will put you to sleep.

Fagin returns to sing "Only a Fool Would Say That" and the track's slick, jazzy feel is a big step up in quality from the previous cut. The highlight comes in the form of the hot but short-lived guitar ride. "Fire in the Hole" hints at future progressive leanings with its offbeat progression and here Donald gets to show off his under-appreciated piano skills. I make it a point to ignore the corny steel guitar that appears just before the fadeout. The #11 hit "Reeling in the Years," with its brittle, edgy guitars is yet another horribly overexposed, played-to-death tune that, while it grates on my nerves to this day, made the band a household name. Sure, guest Elliot Randall left an indelible imprint on pop music with his flashy guitar spasms but Steely Dan was destined to showcase much better six-string performances in the years to come. The album ends with the quirky "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" that stays consistent with the atmosphere they created, yet the impressive jazz chordings they employ are a harbinger of what's to come on their next outing.

As debuts go, this one was remarkably successful in establishing them as a radio-friendly entity but it is so pop-oriented that I would never recommend it to a Steely Dan-as-crossover prog newcomer. The lack of imagination contained within compared to the astounding inventiveness that would come to be their trademark can be very misleading. The group belongs on this website without a doubt but I could do without "Can't Buy A Thrill." What a fitting title.

Hey, we've got Nightwish in the archives, why not? Steely Dan is not a progressive rock band as the term is used at all, but they certainly helped to progress rock music. Steely Dan were the first band to really popularize jazz rock, it had certainly been done before, but never so smoothly and with such catchy pop hooks. Do It Again, Only a Fool Would Say That, and Reelin' in the Years are a few of my favorite tracks on the album, but like all of this groups' output it's solid all the way through. One of the best pop albums of the 70's or ever in my opinion, highly recommended.

Good to see Steely Dan added to the Progarchives. They certainly belong there, though this first album wasn't enough to do it. When I first heard the album back in 1972 I was attracted by the inventiveness compared to so much pop rock. Mssrs Becker and Fagen where apparently caught between the record company, the need to pay the bills, and their drive to create interesting music. The album is a bit of a hodge-podge -- some good songs and some not so -- still, better than a lot out there. It was obvious the guys had something going on under the surface. The next album showed it. 3.5 Stars.

Initially I wanted to let the two very famous songs be the key of this review and I will do so mostly but I will also spend some attention to the others, I think that's only fair.

Because the opener (Do it again) and the evergreen rocker (Reelin'in the years) are actually the two standing out tracks for me (it will not be a big surprise). Do it again is a song that's very special to me from the moment it was created, so that is for 36 years now. It was a huge hit in the Netherlands as it was in most pop-minded countries no doubt. I must have heard it several hundreds times by now and guess what: I'm still not bored by it. I can't say it's still growing on me, that would be exaggerated but it's greatness will never die, it's much too special for that. One of the most original popsongs ever. The other great one, Reelin'in the years is less special, it's simply a fantastic rocksong with a great guitar solo as absolute highlight. Along with Black Friday the best they ever did in this style. Another example of Dan's versatility ! I will do a song by song rating with a bit of comment to set out the rest of the songs. 1. Do it again 4,5* 2. Dirty work 3,2 * very accessible, poppy track with vocals by David Palmer 3. Kings 3,5* good (rocky)song with a solo by Elliot Randall 4. Midnight cruiser 3,5* same thing, slightly more ballad-like 5. Only a fool would say that 3,4* well known track, occasionally heard on dutch radio but not too special 6. Reelin'in the years 4,2* 7. Fire in the hole 3,8* with great piano work by Fagen 8. Brooklyn 3,5* sounding like a country ballad, talking about versatility ! Also sung by Palmer by the way 9. Change of the guard 3,3* mediocre track with original but not outstanding guitarwork 10. Turn that heartbeat over again 3,4* another track that is sometimes played on the radio up to today.

So that means an average of some 3,6* resulting in 4 stars for this fine debut.

* Steely Dan Act I: Artists leaving the womb*

In October 1972 Steely Dan released their debut album onto the market with little to no fanfare, but also with no expectations placed upon them. Steely Dan was a band formed in secret. The brainchild of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, songwriters at ABC Records in Los Angeles. In cahoots with mentor and ABC Records producer Gary Katz they set out on recruiting members for the band. Denny Dias was brought in as a guitarist, whom Becker and Fagen had met earlier in New York through an advertisement Dias placed in The Village Voice newspaper, reading Looking for keyboardist and bassist. Must have jazz chops! He was flown out to LA and along with guitarist Jeff Skunk Baxter and drummer Jim Hodder formed the core of what soon became Steely Dan.

The band begins rehearsing after work during the day as songwriters for ABC, at night in a cramped, abandoned office in the ABC building and began recording with Roger Nichols, a former nuclear engineer, as their recording engineer, a relationship that continues to this day. Since Fagen was uncomfortable as the lead singer, they also decided to sign up vocalist David Palmer as the front man. Since Palmer's vocal style didn't convey the attitude that Becker and Fagen wanted for most of the songs, and the also needed to finish the album, Donald reluctantly sang lead vocals on all but three songs on their debut album, which they named Can't Buy A Thrill. A special note to the cover art.. for a band, like many prog bands that well known for it's interesting artistic covers, this cover is nothing short of ... terrible. I remember seeing a thread on the site which had a link that listed the worst prog album covers of all time. This ranked at 2. Don't remember what the worst was. My paycheck on ELP though.. they always win those kinds of polls hahaha.

Anyway.. on to the album we go.

The song kicks off with ...oh god.. Do It Again. A hit song hahhaha. What did you expect.. Close to the Edge. No but if you expect pop music.... you also have come to wrong album.. and definitely the wrong group. From the first song of the first album a Dan trademark is unleashed upon the listener. Like much of prog, and very much unlike pop music and groups. This group dealt with more highminded lyrical content than simple pop fluff. Do It Again can be seen a number of ways. Like many of their songs, it's hard to make sense of the lyrics, which seem to be about some combination of addiction, second chances and the inevitability of fate. The song has two instrumental breaks both using instruments again.. rarely found in pop.... The instrument used on the first instrumental break is an electric sitar. The primitive keyboard or 'plastic organ' played by Donald Fagen on the second instrumental break is a Melodica. You blow through a reed and depress keys on a mini plastic keyboard attached. Also making an appearence on the this album and forever associated with the group is a quality I have always identified with is a wry sense of humour. This song is described as Trad. (meaning traditional, like many Folk songs) in the album credits. This is a fairly typical Donald Fagen/Walter Becker prank. For entertainment, google an interview of Becker and Fagen. A laugh riot.

Next up is Dirty Work... a song I have never liked. Mainly for what makes it so distinctive. David Palmer is the singer here. While in fact he might be a better singer than Fagen. Palmer's vocals are erstwhile and passionate. The lyrics are typical Dan. dark.. though not as cryptic. The song's about a guy who is the man she cheats on her husband with (when he's out of town, she lights a candle for romance, sends the maid home early), and the moral dilemma - sex or cuckold the hubby. He's unable to overcome his desire for her, despite the terrible risk, every time - thousands of times before. Nice song.. but missing the elements of what Steely Dan.. Steely Dan for me. Good uses of horns though. Next up is Kings, featuring Fagen on the piano and lead vocals, strong vocal harmonies with with Clydid King, Shirley Mathews, and Venetta Fields. Though the group claims no political significance. The song is often thought to be about Magna Carta. Richard the Lionhearted was a grand king of England who had total rule. He was succeeded by his younger brother John. John was weak and had to cave in to the English noblemen who wanted to share in the rule of the country. By asserting that the king had less than total rule over his country and all his subjects, Magna Carta became the initial basis for many principals which are now part of what we consider to be basic human rights. Richard was a much more valiant king, but he ruled without regard for the common people. John was a terrible king, but his weakness made his government less despotic. A song I really like.. edging toward what future Steely Dan would become. Not as out there musicially but still satisfying as hell musically. Midnight Cruiser is next. With Hodder on the vocals. A song easy to peg as a song dedicated to Thelonious Monk. Strong vocal harmonies. A song strangly covered across the ocean by the English band Capability Brown. Not a bad song.. but there is reason Hodder is not a vocalist. Not bad.. but not was sweet as Palmer .. or as biting as Fagen. Side one closes with my favorite from the album, Only A Fool Would say that. The opening line "The world becomes one, of salads and sun" evokes the utopian possibility of "Imagine", only to be derisively dismissed as the musings of a fool. Denny Dias and Skunk Baxter provide a perfect contrast in acoustic and electric guitar to Fagen's sneering vocals. An early Steely Dan classic, foreshadowing the wry, depraved themes featured in much of their later work. I love the song with it' swirling Latin melodies. Great song

Side 2 kicks off with a cover of Close to the Edge.. hahhah.. nah... but something just as good. The overplayed to death.. but still KILLER Reelin' In the Years. Pure decadent pop... with fiery guitar solos. Studio 'ringer' Elliot Randall's guitar solo is OUT OF THIS WORLD. One of my favorites alltime. Yet underneath the shiny musical exterior... something for the prog fan comes peaking through. Have you tried to figure out the lyrics.. a famous prog past time, and one that any SD fan revels in.... try this on for size. Read this somewhere.. makes perfect sense.

'This song came out during the first wave of a huge nostalgia boom for simpler times. Happy Days was a new show on TV. Capitol Records had released The Beach Boys Endless Summer which went double platinum. Disco was rearing it's ugly head on the far horizon.

The first verse gives it away: Your everlasting summer... - obvious reference to Endless Summer.

The girl in the song was a metaphor for the record buying public. Steely Dan had spent years becoming a top notch jazz/blues/rock act, and now the public wanted endless summer rather than progressive music.

You wouldn't know a diamond if you held it in your hand, the things you think are precious, I don't understand. - compares the progressive music of Steely Dan to the simplistic music of the nostalgia boom.

The college likely refers to early 1970s college and freeform radio, where obscure artists were played, and the weirder, the better.

Reelin' In The Years - trying not to grow old by trying to relive endless summers of the past.

You've been tellin' me you're a genius since you were 17 - obvious references to Brian Wilson, Bob Dylan, and John Lennon.

I still don't know what you mean. - I never got it. I'm into a different groove.

The things you think are useless, I don't understand. - there was a conscious effort during 1974 - 1976 to reject all things progressive. Maybe it was the advent of the nation's 200th birthday? Maybe just a time? But, the record buying public came to feel that progressive was useless, and nostalgia was in.

Fortunately, the public came to their senses about 1978. But, can you sense the disdain the the SD lyrics, as they rag on the record buying public, who they compare to a wayward girl who can't make up her mind?'

nice. Great song.. not terribly progressive musically.. but that isn't all that progressive rock was about. Steely Dan is a different animal that you have ever explored.

Fire in the Hole is next. Nice steel pedal from the Skunk and great piano solo from Fagen. Not at the level as some the previous songs.. but one thing you will notice about Steely Dan. Simply.. this group DID NOT MAKE BAD SONGS. Learn that.. and you be on the way to understanding this group. Brooklyn is next from the group. Dedicated to a neighbor while they lived in NYC. Nice slide guitar. again.. quality music. Not much for the prog fan though. Change of the Guard is next. What did I say earlier... oh yeah.. but at times they make songs that really don't say much or do much of anything. This is one of them. Not bad by any means.. not much to write really other than a nice solo by the Skunk. However the number of times you will here 'Na na na na, na na na na' in a SD song after this album are ...ahhh.. like zero. The album closes with Turn That Heartbeat Over Again. Not the best thing SD ever did... but this was somewhat a blueprint for where they would later go. Fulling shifting melodies, rhythms, and moods. The song is a bit of an odd one. Called a solemn prayer for peace by the group. My take on it.. the speaker gets his friend mixed up in some dangerous stuff and his friend dies. Nice happy stuff huh. hahahha

Ranking the album... For the prog fan. Ehhhh.. a bit on the soft side. If you listen to this.. you might ask yourself what kind of [&*!#] was the site thinking when adding this band. The elements are there alright. If they had never progressed this band would have never been included here. Which would be developed later on down the road. Not bad for an album conceived in an abandoned office. Ranked by Rolling Stone Magazine as #238 in it's list of the 500 greatest records of alltime. The best part is though.. for the prog fan... it only get better from here. Even Genesis had their FGtR which ..hahha.. I didn't see on that list. If you a died in the wool prog-o-holic. Don't start here.. come back to it if you like what you hear. If you love great music.. you could.. but I woudn't. Unless you were born under a rock you have heard many of these songs already. So what is it I am saying... this is a prog site. 2 stars for the site. If it wasn't.. 4 stars. For me personally.. .3 stars. If you are a Republican.....

Michael (aka Micky)

STEELY DAN debut is a remarkable record because of two things at least: a sophisticated musical hybrid of rock, pop, jazz and R'n'B along with cynical sometimes cryptic lyrics and campy cover art in the vein of LITTLE FEAT or ROXY MUSIC on one hand; and on the other the phenomenal piece of art in the shape of the opening mega tune Do It Again. Distinguished rhytmic pattern, melodic Fagen's vocals and interplay between the solo parts of electric sitar and organ made this track one of the DAN highlights right from the start of their career.

Still, the rest of the album is not on par with the promising opener. David Palmer's vocals on Dirty Work, Midnight Cruiser and Brooklyn are too cheesy and better suit to a crooner-type vocalists. Music is often a too straightforward rock'n'roll with an occassional blues or jazz chord that approaches a type of easy-listening soft-rock. I read somewhere that someone had assessed SD as the first Adult-Oriented Rock band, even before the term was coined. Even if we agree with that, the later work of the duo would certainly overpass any cathegorisation and would be highly evaluated among jazz, rock and prog listeners alike. The hints of the better works to come are present here in clasically arranged Kings, anti-Hippie vignette Only a Fool Would Say That and a fiery rocker Reelin' In the Years.

This Lp is not essential for prog collections, but I would surely advise you take a chance and listen to it. If only more songs were done in the way of Do It Again (and without Palmer vocals) I would consider 4 stars...

PERSONAL RATING: 3,5/5

P.A. RATING: 3/5

The shot across the bow

I was only about 6 at the time the Dan broke on the American scene but I often wonder what music fans of the time must have thought: Who are these two weird-looking smart-asses playing this stuff? When most of the country were likely rocking out to Zeppelin and the Stones along came the acerbic tongued twins peddling a different sound. It was rock and roll for sure but it sounded different. Jazzy and a bit funky with great lyrics.dark to be sure but with a wicked sense of humor somewhere between Holden Caufield and Lenny Bruce perhaps? I simply have to quote this short section from the dreaded Wiki purely for entertainment value: "Fagen immediately took to the Beatnik lifestyle while attending college: They never came out of their room, they stayed up all night. They looked like ghosts - black turtlenecks and skin so white that it looked like yogurt. Absolutely no activity, chain-smoking Lucky Strikes and dope." Fagen himself would later remember it as probably the only time in my life that I actually had friends." I love that-I knew some people like that!

"In the land of milk and honey, you must put them on the table"

Musically the first album seems light years from the exquisite perfectionism of "Gaucho" but that's in no way a slam. "Thrill" is my favorite of the early Dan works and the one I play the most. I'll go against the grain and say that "Thrill" is the best of their pre-Aja albums to my ear-certainly not the most complex or chops-oriented, but the most pleasing to me on a personal level. I love the different vocalists on display here and think it adds. I don't care that much about "prog quotient" when it comes to this band because SD is not who I listen to when in the prog mood anyway. Dan is first and foremost a good rock band to me and this is a great collection of tracks with much flavour, mood, and snap. The album has so much personal sentimentality which is something I cherish rather than dread like some critics do. Coming out of their college years and sharing their personal histories and stories in these songs, it's almost twisted folk music lyrically put to inventive rock. I sense nostalgia here even if the boys would bristle at the charge-they can't fool me. There are so many little highlights throughout. Beyond the three big radio songs present here (all of which are really quality songs) there is one hell of a solo by Elliot Randall on "Kings." There is the simply sublime lament of "Midnight Cruiser" buoyed by the great melody. The feistiness in the funky piano of "Fire in the Hole." Some nice steel work by the Skunk on "Brooklyn" along with a nice vocal by Palmer with the harmonies behind him. I'm not sure what to make of "Turn that Heartbeat" but I think the looseness of this album, the humor, and the variety are what make the package work overall. The playing is tight and the arrangements already above the competition, yet the bottom line is that this album is not afraid to display the range of emotions and sentimentalities that some of their "cooler" upcoming work would lack. This album has the grit of the corner bar on its heel, the smell of stale beer and cigs, and the throb of a hangover. "Can't Buy a Thrill" is an American rock classic that works in its own way and really shouldn't be compared to something like "Aja." For a debut I think it holds up very well and will not disappoint any fan of the Dan. The next several albums would get more complex but in the process lose some of the charms and indeed.thrills..that the debut holds for me. The evolution was bound to happen but would not completely succeed for a few years.

Can't Buy a Thrill is the debut studio album from Steely Dan. The album was released in 1972. I´m new to the band and listening to this album it´s hard to understand why Steely Dan is on PA, but I´m sure that some of their later albums are more prog related and those are the ones who have earned them their place here.

The music on Can't Buy a Thrill is pop/ rock or soft rock with little or no progressive tendencies. What makes this album interesting anyway is how professional these compositions sound. It´s obvious that main composers Donald Fagen and Walter Becker are very talented composers and musicians. The production is also a big asset when listening to the album. It´s very detailed, warm and pleasant. Songs like the opener Do It Again and the great Reelin´ in the Years are very good pop/ rock songs. Note the melody line in the vers in Reelin' In the Years. That´s a well composed melody line if I ever heard one. The vocals are really great and warm.

The first time I listened to the album I was sure I was gonna give it 2 stars, because of the lack on progressive elements but I´ve come to enjoy the pleasant mood and groovy rythms a bit more than I had expected and adding the very clever pop/ rock arrangements and compositions to my overall opinion I´ll have to rate this one 3 stars. The more I listen the more I enjoy it. Music for a quiet sunday afternoon in the sun. Just don´t expect anything challenging or progressive. I´ll be looking forward to listening to more from Steely Dan.

This "group" was built around the songwriter partnership of Fagen & Becker, but it's anything but a real rock group that climbed its way through the garages and clubs. Blessed by record producer Katz, the group was assembled the way the music industry did for years before the rock revolution happened. It's any wonder at all SD was a real group at all, since it was mostly "studio rats" joining forces, much like Toto would in the late 70's. But at this point of release of the aptly-named CBAT (and its very kitsch hooker artwork) , it was still uncertain that this would be a "touring group", until Do It Again and Reelin' In The Years became two huge hits propelling the album up the charts, thus forcing the "group" on the road.

With the two singers/songwriters Fagen on keyboards and Becker on bass, the group has two guitarist, the first being the strident-sounding Skunk Baxter and the other being the more rhythmic Denny Dias, while the drum stool is held by Hodder and main vocalist (at least in the early stages) David Palmer >> not Tull's Dee Palmer) and the "group" invited a myriad of fellow studio rats to accomplish a few more tasks (horn section and extra percussions) on the album.

Of course two huge hits like these (each starting their own album side) just mentioned above can only create healthy to enormous, but this is certainly not SD's best effort, and I dare say that this is probably shared by most fans who happen to be progheads as well. Aside those two much over-played (and over-rated) tracks (the former does have an infectious electric piano line), the album is filled with songs that don't provide much unity. Dirty Work became the third hit of that album and is a catchy tune with a horn-ladden chorus line, while Midnight Cruiser is a good cruiser (but could be a filler as well) with CSN&Y-type harmony vocals, etc.. nothing that is really there to quench our thirst for tricky time sigs and extended interplay. Brooklyn is a horrible country rocker (that's part of the problem with AOR, CR and C&W are never far away) and features horrible lapsteel (remember Howe's sound in GFTO and Tormato?), courtesy of Skunk, who represents that "country" tendency in this group as well as later in the Doobie Brothers. Actually the closing Heartbeat is probably the best thing the proghead will find to sink his teeth into, with those fine jazz arrangements.

For reasons already mentioned, this exactly the type of music industry product that has a certain stench about it, something that was equally bothersome with Toto or Steve Perry's Journey, both that would end sometimes being called "corporate rock", where every aspect of the music is closely calculated for maximizing profits. While SD predates this "industry take-over" by a few years, they were certainly one of the industry's earliest attempt at creating adult-aiming RnR into albums and thus helping the change from Album-Oriented Rock playing in Album-Oriented Radio (once the prog/glam/blues/hard rock wave of the late 60's/early 70's was running out of breath), suddenly changing the radios into Adult Oriented Radio and open to shorter song format. So in a way SD involuntarily played a role against freedom on the airwaves with their distinguished jazz-laden west- coast pop music. So while I respect SD's work for what it is, I never really lose sight that this is mostly a product of the huge control-hungry music industry and therefore it's rather unlikely as I start reviewing this group that I'll managed higher a rating than 3.5. And with this direction-less collection of song, we'll certainly not get close to that max.

Way back in late 1972 my older brother came home with a bunch of records that he'd borrowed off a friend and Can't Buy a Thrill was one. I have been playing this album ever since.This would be my number one album,desert island disc, etc. I only came to this conclusion about 2 years back when I was about to play the album and realised that I really can not remember at least playing this every year at some time since 1972 and through sheer repetition alone it has to be the one.

This is the first Steely Dan album released and the only one where Donald Fagen did not do all the lead vocals as ABC records wanted David Palmer to do some of the vocals as they were concerned about Donald Fagen's. David Palmer did lead vocals on Dirty Work and Brooklyn ( owes the charmer under me) and shared vocals on 3 other tracks. Jim Hodder also appeared and did lead vocals for the track Kings.

Denny Dias played guitar and electric sitar on Do it Again and remained on every album as a full time member or a guest till Gaucho which he did not appear on. Jeff Skunk Baxter who later left the band to join the Doobie Brothers also pays steel guitar on Fire in the Hole. One other notable mention is the backing vocalists Shirley Matthews,Vanetta Fields and Clydie King who were originaaly Ikettes till 1966 and left to form the group the Mirettes. They quickly became one of the top session backing vocalists around and appeared with practically everybody, Bob Dylan,Pink Floyd,Rolling Stones,Aretha Franklin,Diana Ross,Leonard Cohen and the list goes on and on. One other mention is Walter Becker who plays bass and guitar with a small vocal part and who is also the founding member with Donald Fagen who also sings lead vocals,plays piano,keyboards and even a melodica which he still uses in concert today.

There are 10 tracks on the album and the 2 most well known are Do It Again and Reelin in the Years but another also would be Dirty Work. The album has a jazz influence throughout but is basically a rock/pop album which does need to be heard a few times to appreciate it which I found even when I was 13 as after the first listen I couldn't see what the fuzz was about but things quickly improved with the next play. One of my favourite tracks would be Changing of the Guard with that Skunk Baxter guitar solo and even in the chorus you even got Na nana na na.(Great hey).

This album always appears in those top 100's normally and I know that everyone will say what about Gaucho but at the time I heard this Countdown to Ecstasy had not long been released and Gaucho was still 6 albums away. This album I really cannot say that it is not a masterpiece especially as it is a debut as well but if you are looking for progressive music this is not your album. It is one great rock record from the early seventies

It was March or April of 1973, and my mother, sister, and I were on a brief trip on Highway 90 out of New Orleans to Fort Pike in the Rigolets. During this journey, courtesy of WTIX-AM, I first heard Reeling in the Years. This song has had a place in my imagination ever since.

I was pleased recently to learn of the inclusion of Steely Dan on ProgArchives.com Whether Prog Related, Crossover Prog, or Jazz/Rock Fusion, the compositions of Becker and Fagen and the varied musical lineups through which these pieces have been realized have advanced the cause of progress. The readership of this site holds a special place for the album Argus of Wishbone Ash; Can't Buy a Thrill occupies a similar position.

We often refer to the Spirit of the Times. In 1972, the Times were busy: Close to the Edge, Thick as a Brick, Foxtrot, Trilogy, and, in the process of conception, composition, and recording, to some degree, Selling England by the Pound, Dark Side of the Moon, and Larks' Tongues in Aspic. Through Argus, Wishbone Ash delivered a musical realization of the symmetry of harmony lead guitar coupled with overall musical intensity. On Can't Buy a Thrill, Elliott Randall, Jeff, Skunk, Baxter, Denny Dias, Walter Becker, and Donald Fagen parallel this intensity.

Further, on the album Close to the Edge, Steve Howe introduced us to his steel guitar. From And You and I, to the Ancient, to the Gates of Delirium, to Going for the One, indeed, through In the Presence of . . ., Howe has employed the steel guitar for accentuation of the truly sublime moments of the music of Yes. And, through the agency of Skunk Baxter, the steel guitar makes a synchronous appearance in 1972 on the first Steely Dan album. Nothing may remain in the Hole for combustion, but the fire endures.

Becker, Fagen, and company's first effort is replete with virtuosity. One prime example is Do It Again. Fagen and Dias solo to great effect, but on plastic organ and electric sitar? Although Fagen is the lead vocalist, he memorably turns over these duties to guest vocalist David Palmer on Dirty Work and Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer under Me) and to drummer Jim Hodder on Midnight Cruiser. Perhaps it is only right that the memory expresses itself in an unstructured fashion that the lead guitar of Elliott Randall defies in its precision on Reeling in the Years. As the Seventies wore on, Walter Becker grew more interested in the guitar, but I am fond of his bass playing here. Can't Buy a Thrill is not only a masterful first album, but also a grand cooperative realization of composition and execution.

Later on, Becker and Fagen would introduce us to the Caves of Altamira on the Royal Scam. And the lyric unfolds: Before the Fall,when they wrote it on the wall, when there wasn't even any Hollywood . . . . To some extent, recollection refurbishes the important musical year of 1972. What is the Paradise lost to humanity? I submit that, in the endurance in our imaginations of music such as the great products of 1972, we obtain suggestions of just what that Paradise might be.

The music character based on the rhythm and blues might already have been established to some degree as their styles. It was about at 1967 that two people (Fagen and Becker) met in student's age. It liked Jazz and blues more than the lock, and they wrote and accumulated the tune in amateur bands. The music that they created was not already a simple tune. For one thing, it was in the content of a flow of the complex code and poetic lyrics about their charms. Therefore, it is guessed that the activity of their music did not develop at once. However, they got the job of Music of the movie etc.Men who establish the shape of the band gradually meet producer's Gary Katz. This event will greatly expand the width of their activities. It settles down in recording musician's shape the form though they were being offered the place where the tune can be created. It was concretely surely expressed and their music invented directionality as the band though they were forecasting neither various guests nor tours, etc.Their senses can already be found though this album is their debut albums. The feeling of the chord progression and the rhythm gives birth to a peculiar flow as there are an element and the blues of pop in the basis. Their styles have already been established and if their music characters are pursued, might be almost blocked in this album. There might have been an environment and a fate for it to besiege them that they were able to create the tune freely to some degree. Everything starts from this album. And, Fagen and Becker become units of two people and create a masterpiece further.

Steely Dan has their own status in the world of tasteful music. People who never heard about prog-rock, and who even don't care about it, like their music. And music fanatics, who can speak about Trey Gunn's importance in KC MkIII, like them as well. So, just take it easy...

Debut album of these two guys (plus huge team of other musicians, as usual for them) is real Steely Dan. Golden melodies, well calculated and well crafted songs,warm sound.

OK, you can hear much more r'n'b or blues-rock roots there. And still less jazz, as it will happens later. But you can't make a mistake, no way - it's Steely Dan's music from very first sound.So, if you like them, you will accept this album with pleasure. If not - you will stay with your opinion as well.

I don't think that discussion about how proggy are Steely Dan has any sense. They have their own style, intelectual pop/soft rock , well arranged, often with jazzy clothes. It variates from album to album,getting it's peak in "Aja" album. All other their works are the same formula with some different nuances.

For sure, the first album isn't perfect, but even there you can hear some perfect things (near very average things). I think, they just show us example what quality pop-rock should be.

Can't Buy a Thrill, an underappreciated album, that is for sure!

Can't Buy a Thril, Steely Dan's first album, was released in 1972. The album is an interesting blend of jazz influence (especially on piano, sometimes even on drums), pop singing (the vocals being clean, melodic and really charming, nicely fitting the whole thing) and probably rock influenced guitar!

The songs are short, not very progressive, yet not builded in a typical type of rock or pop songwriting. The rhythm is most of the time structured around piano (jazzy approach and archetypical riffs, with nice bits of solos and excentric melodies), smooth bass and jazz-rock drums.

The intersting points about this album, and also about the band, is the rhythm constructed around the piano, with lower notes to constrast the higher notes, doing a melodic and charming oeuvre! The bass is well crafted, not passive and cheap like in typical rock bands. The drums, jazzy and rocking, are perfectly fitting this ensemble, taking the right spot on that type of music, not on the front, not on the back, right in the middle, where you woud want and expect it!

The music is catchy, well-written, unique and supported by fancy and superior lyrics most of time. This album (well, this band in fact), should have been classified in the Prog-Related subgenres, where it would have more fitted, because, yes in fact there is jazz-rock/fusion influence on this band, but it's more the song crafting and the general approach that define it's relation with prog, and for that reason I believe it should have been put on another subgenre of Prog. It would also have given the band better scores for their albums, because people seems to build their critics on the fact that this is not jazz-rock/fusion in the branch of Herbie Hancock... Who said it was?

5 stars! (A masterpiece of Prog-Related music!)

Do not let the absolutely dreadful cover fool you--there is good music to be found within!

As a progger, there are many reasons for me to dislike the Dan (i.e., pop sensibilities, reliance on session musicians, no perfect genre to pigeonhole them into, etc), but I simply cannot help it...I love the Dan.

And I particularly love this album. Each song is fairly simple, but each have the charm of skilled songwriters and musicians that did not yet have the time or money to overextend--or overproduce--their material. Each piece has a warm sound and a newbie's energy and soul.

What amazes me is that there is no dud to be found on this album--I honestly enjoy each song, from the classic rock shuffle of Reelin, to the bossy bossa nova Fool, to the soothing slide of Charmer, to the quasi-anthem Guard. As a notorious song-skipper, this is remarkable for me.

So, as a debut for the Dan, I'm going into 4 star territory for Can't Buy a Thrill. I admit some personal bias--I just love this album, while few others would put it among their Steely Dan prizes--but Can't Buy a Thrill at least bought me a good deal of musical satisfaction.

Steely Dan got their name from a talking dildo in William Burroughs' novel "Naked Lunch". Soft Machine also got their name from Burroughs. This is their debut album, not as jazzy as later efforts. On this album they even had a 'lead vocalist' in David Palmer. I think at this point the group still played live but would soon become just a studio band. The music here doesn't sound very complex but if you really study it, it is harder to play than it seems.

"Do It Again" is now a staple of classic rock radio. One of the band's best songs. Nice mix of Wurlitzer and percussion. Electric sitar solo then an organ solo. You can play this song in one of the Guitar Hero games. Not only do you play the sitar solo but also the organ solo too! It's actually funny when you use the whammy bar during the organ part. Unlike the last song sung by Donald Fagen, "Dirty Work" has Palmer on vocals. Another highlight. The chorus is good. I like the horns after the first one. Good sax solo with organ.

"Kings" is a good song. After the chorus there is a nice melody on something(electric piano? electric sitar?). "Midnight Cruiser" has drummer Jim Hodder on vocals. Love the guitar after the choruses. Good guitar solo. "Only A Fool Would Say That" is the shortest and weakest song on the album. It's sandwiched between two of the better songs. "Reelin' In The Years" is another staple of classic rock radio. Good lyrics. Great lead guitar tone and playing. The guitar part after the second chorus is some of the best playing of the 1970s. That part comes back later. Awesome guitar solo with good rhythm section back up. The song ends with another great solo but unfortunately it gets faded out.

"Fire In The Hole" has great piano playing at the start and in the middle. Also some good twangy steel guitar. Cool chord changes in this song. "Change Of The Guard" has a great guitar solo in it. SD would go on to make better albums with great production and playing from studio musicians. This album is not the proggiest thing in the world, but it is a good debut album. 3 stars.

What more can I say about this highly influential band's debut album that hasn't already been said? Well, in my opinion it was great start for Steely Dan. Their unique super blend of jazz, rock, R&B and pop should not be missed.

The songwriting is very literate, inventive, dark and sometimes twisted. Apart from the classic tracks the rest of the music here is really, very good and the studio perfectionism paid off well. There's lot's of nice piano, organ, guitar fillings and solos as well as fabulous touches from the saxophone and flugelhorn.

"Do It Again" must be one of the most well known tracks by the band. There's some superb musicianship here and a cool electric sitar solo. "Kings" is another favourite of mine, "Only A Fool Would Say That" also superb. "Reeling In The Years" is another well known classic as well as a main highlight.

The 70's was a special decade and Steely Dan continued to consistently release brilliant music throughout. Their very best albums were yet to come. 4 stars.

4.5 Stars.

Of ourse this isn't prog. This isn't even jazz/rock fusion. This is album rock. Made for FM radio.

Quick--name a band that had 3 alltime pop classics on their debut album

Maybe CCR, The Doors, The Beatles, Otis Redding......Steely Dan.

"Do it Again," "Dirty Work," and "Reelin' in the Years" have made quite a sum in royalties for the Becker/Fagan tandem, and the execs at MCA are fatter too. The other songs meld together perfectly in terms of establishing the debut aesthetic and lay the groundwork for the trademark Dan sound.

So what makes this of interest to progressive music lovers?

According to AMG, "Walter Becker and Donald Fagen were remarkable craftsmen from the start, as Steely Dan's debut, Can't Buy a Thrill, illustrates. Each song is tightly constructed, with interlocking chords and gracefully interwoven melodies, buoyed by clever, cryptic lyrics."

Sound like anything you'd like?

I can't call this a masterpiece of Progressive music, but I think a record like this can bridge the gap for pop listeners and Progressive rock.

Here we are, at the beginning of the STEELY DAN train. Their debut, CAN'T BUY A THRILL, I have to admit has better songs than I initially remembered, but after listening through their stuff again in preparation for writing these reviews, I discovered some nuggets on it. Tracks like "Do It Again", "Kings", "Changing of the Guard"... Hell, even "Reelin' in the Years" was a much more solid track than I remembered initially. But then we get songs like parts of "Brooklyn" and the dreadful closer and I wonder why I'm listening to it again.

That having been said, this album is also noteworthy for being their most schizophrenic. They hadn't really decided on a firm identity for this one, which results in AOR if well-written jazz-pop on "Reelin' in the Years" and some spacey, adventurous and downright proggy instrumental work on "Do It Again". I can pick a handful of songs and, if the album was cut to their mold, we'd have a bonafide prog rock album through and through, and others that would leave this as a particualrly good rehash of the band AMERICA, a band traditionally (and rightfully) known for producing bland soft rock pablum. It's this facet that hurts the band the most on this album; we can all deal with a band song or two, and even SELLING ENGLAND has "More Fool Me" (which I am fond of, but clearly doesn't fit). But the way that they didn't push their strongest songs together to the front or back to create an easy way to delineate the listening experience leaves a rather uneven feel.

Good songs, and definitely worth it for a Dan fan, but anyone else can pass on this one. It pains me, but two stars.*

* - If you pass on this album because of this rating, at least look into the four songs mentioned in this review before you decide on it. This album isn't great, but it has great material on it.

Along with THE ROYAL SCAM, parts of GAUCHO and, of course, AJA, this is the best Steely Dan has to offer. It seems to be a bit more rock oriented rather than Jazzy like their later works but it is a wonderful debut from a great band. It's amazing how many classic songs are on this one disc: "Do it Again", "Dirty Work", "Midnight Cruiser", "Reelin in the Years", "Fire in the Hole"..... The only down part of this album are 2 songs which have never interested be much: "Brooklyn" and "Turn That Heartbeat Over". Neither are bad songs, just a little less inspiring then the rest. My only complaint with this disc is the hideous artwork on the cover. 4 stars. Not proggy enough for a 5 star rating.

Can't Buy a Thrill ? 1972 (4/5) 12 ? Best Song: Do It Again The Steely Dan duo are smart folks. No, they aren't any smarter than your average smart person, and they aren't any more talented than your average?supertalented jazz rock outfit. What they got, and I mean they got it ? in spades, even ? right from the beginning is wit. I don't ever listen to Can't Buy a Thrill when I'm interested in crying or sobbing in the corner for a few hours. I'll save that for Tom Waits. When I put on a Dan album, especially this one, because it's so good, I'm doing so for two things ? the band's wit and the band's popcraft, which is a damn behemoth at this early point. It's not 'just' the two of them, Fagen and whoever. They're a full band, bringing in a slew of session musicians, including Skunk Baxter. 'Do it Again' is a smart, psychotic jazz rock devil, it is. 'Now you swear and kick and beg us that you're not a gambling man, then you find you're back in Vegas with a handle in your hand. Those black cards can make you money, so you hide them when you're able ? in the land of milk and honey you must put them on the table.' I love that line. It's a song about gambling addiction, obviously. The song is also a vehicle for the searing solo abilities of the group's guitar and organ, culminating in a monster duel. If that wasn't enough, right after, 'Dirty Work' comes in and chills us all out with a beautiful little pop ditty. What I'm saying is that the band knew very well what they were doing, with musicians coming and going like a real project ? or an experiment, but the swiveling cast, each song is like a different little world. It'll also make sure that while you're bound to like at least several songs, most folks will have at least a song or two they might not fall head over heels for. While I never loved 'Kings', the soft jazz jamming of 'Only a Fool Would Say That' always struck me fantastically. At their worst they're a well-oiled machine. At their best, oh my!

I have read that Fagen and Becker were not very happy with this album other than the hits "Do It Again" and "Reelin' In The Years" which they would continue to play live for years.The rest of the album though ? No, other than "Dirty Work" they ignored these tracks in a live setting. I must admit I take artists criticisms of their albums with a grain of salt because we all have our own tastes but man they were right about ths one. I don't think i've ever listened to such a top heavy album in my life. By that I mean we have those three amazing tracks i've already mentioned and then a universe away we have the rest of the songs. I honestly could care less if I ever heard the "other" tracks again in my life.That's just my opinion of course.This is where it all started for Becker and Fagan and boy did they open some eyes all over the world with those three tracks. It made them famous.

"Do It Again" reminds me of SANTANA to start with that percussion, it will continue throughout. Such a cool track and I like the organ 4 minutes in. "Dirty Work" is a sentimental favourite of mine that reminds me of when I was a kid. I actually didn't even know this was a STEELY DAN song until recently. I like the relaxed sax solo with the organ floating in the background after 2 minutes. "Kings" opens with piano as vocals and a fuller sound join in. It's catchy but I find the lyrics lame. "Midnight Cruiser" is okay I guess and so is the jazzy "Only A Fool Would Say That".

"Reelin' In The Years" is all about the lyrics and guitar.You can't get much more classic than this. "Fire In The Hole" puts the focus on the lyrics. It's okay. Guitar comes in late. "Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me)" has a Country flavour and it reminds me of the EAGLES. Not a fan at all. "Change Of The Guard" is worse. Just awful. So it prepares us for "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" which is pure crap.

I couldn't give this less than 3 stars because of those three incredible tunes but man it's tempting.

Steely Dan are a unique jazz-rock combo who instead of blending hard rock with cutting-edge jazz instead combine the conventions of smooth jazz and soft rock, with their quirky, sardonic sense of humour and exceptional virtuosity saving the mixture from becoming overly saccharine or cheesy. Their debut album takes this model and crafts it into beautiful, haunting, sarcastic pop classics. Of particular note is Daniel Palmer's lead vocals on Brooklyn and Dirty Work. This is the most commercial of Steely Dan's albums, as well as being one of the least dark and least technically flashy with later albums providing a better showcase for the musicianship of Becker and Fagen and their gallows humour.

This first album by Steely Dan has grown in stature for me over the years. Steely Dan is one of my top ten bands, without a doubt, and Can't Buy A Thrill has only a couple of weak songs. On that basis, I give Can't Buy A Thrill 4 stars. It's great, but not their best.

It's impressive what fine songwriters Becker and Fagen already were at this point. Becker was born in February of 1950, which would make him 22 at this point. "Dirty Work" is one of my favorite songs, by any musical group, ever. "Do It Again" takes the image of the Old West and turns it into a lyrically brilliant song. Later albums would become jazzier and more diverse; Aja is a perfect example. However, I believe few "bands" had a clearer concept of what they wanted to sound like from the beginning than Steely Dan. "Reelin In The Years" includes the first of many astounding guitar solos from Steely Dan.

There are reasons that Can't Buy A Thrill doesn't get the final star from me. As I stated, later albums fuse Steely Dan's jazz, R & B, and rock influences better than this one. I think "Only A Fool Would Say That" and, especially "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again", are weak songs. "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" is so slick you could skate on it. I have to assume that Fagen's being ironic here - I know, not much of a stretch. If that's the case, I'm not getting the joke. However, the other eight songs on Can't Buy A Thrill are good - to - great. This four star album was to be followed by masterpieces in short order.

What a debut! I will NEVER forget the first time I heard "Do It Again" on the radio in Detroit--I thought I was hearing the latest Santana single, but, no! Some new kid on the block named "dan" was announcing his arrival--and what an arrival! This album burned on our record player for weeks without break. Piano, quirky cerebral lyrics, stellar lead guitar play (by sessions musician, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, who later go on to greater fame as a member of The Doobie Brothers before returning to sessions work in the 1980s), and introducing the eccentric vocal talents of principle songwriter and ultra-shy Donald Fagen alternating with ultra-smooth voice of David Palmer.

Great, iconic songs: "Do It Again" (10/10), "Reelin' in the Years" (9/10); "Dirty Work" (8.75/10); "Brooklyn (owes the Charmer in Me)" (8.75/10); "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" (8.75/10); "Kings" (8.5/10), and; the "Blue Collar"-like "Only a Fool Would Say That" (8.5/10).

Not sure how proggy or even jazz-fusiony this album is but I am certainly happy to have an excuse to write and publish a review of one of my childhood's favorites.

For my first reviews on ProgArchives, I thought I might do well to start off with my favorite band of all time, Steely Dan. People tend to think of them as a jazzy "cool pop" group (especially the later material), but to my ears, they had just as much prog credentials as anyone else back then, even if they weren't designated as such (although it took me a while to agree with that sentiment, and even Fagen and Becker would probably still cringe at the idea). Whatever the case, Steely Dan is a band that is very special to me, and as long as they're on the site, I may as well commit myself to saying a few words about them.

The first incarnation of the band (exhibited here) was, well, an actual band rather than the collection of studio musicians it would become (although there are hints of that even on this album). The group consisted of main songwriters Donald Fagen and Walter Becker on keyboards/lead vocals and bass guitar, respectively; Denny Dias and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter on guitars; Jim Hodder on drums and occasional lead vocals; and David Palmer on occasional lead and background vocals. The reason for the "occasional" lead singers is that Fagen was very apprehensive at first about being a front-man and singer, and only did so out of necessity later on (so he says). The album is also graced by the appearances of percussionist Victor Feldman (who played piano with jazz saxophonist "Cannonball" Adderley's group) and guitarist Elliot Randall, among others.

We start off with "Do It Again," the first (although not the only) big hit for the band. Lyrically, it's something of an Old West "murder, failed hanging, get cheated on by your lover and find another one who also screws you over, and go to Vegas to gamble what little you have left" kind of story. (Not your typical "single" material, but hey, things were different in 1972.) The track rides a groovy carpet of Latin percussion throughout, bolstered by solos from Dias on electric sitar (the one and only time he ever played the instrument) and Fagen on Yamaha electone organ. (The glisses on that solo come from a felt strip on the keyboard and not from a pitch-bend wheel.) One of the defining moments of the band for sure.

"Dirty Work" is more on the softer side of things, being somewhat reminiscent of Three Dog Night who were Steely Dan's stablemates on the ABC Dunhill label at the time. David Palmer makes one of two recorded appearances on the record and for the band in general (although he handled all the lead vocals in concert). A gentle tune with somewhat dark lyrics and cool extensions just before every chorus. The track is helped out by two LA studio horn players, Jerome Richardson on sax (who has the solo) and flugelhornist Snooky Young.

"Kings" is claimed to have "no political significance" by the composers, although it seems to be about medieval royalty (good kings "Richard" and "John"). If it is based on an actual historical event, I don't know which one. No matter, as the real highlight of the track is a scorching, overdubbed guitar solo from Elliot Randall, to my ears maybe his best with SD (which is saying something considering he also soloed on "Reelin' In the Years"). The bright production/mixing on this track seems to give it a sunnier vibe than the lyrics would suggest (which is the case with the album in general).

"Midnite Cruiser" features one of only two Jim Hodder lead vocals with the Dan (the other was on "Dallas," a country-flavored non-album single). Prior to joining this group, Hodder drummed and sang lead for a Boston-based prog band called Bead Game (which I hope to review sometime in the future). Interestingly, he sounds somewhat like a cross between Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel (both of Genesis at the time). Not one of SD's better-regarded tracks (although I love it dearly), but it is helped out by Baxter's rockin' guitar solo, as well as the vague reference to jazz pianist Thelonious Monk in the very first line ("Felonius, my old friend...").

"Only a Fool Would Say That" is another Latin jazz-flavored portrait to close out side one. One of the remarkable things about Steely Dan is how the dark, somewhat pessimistic lyrics contrast with the sunny-side-up nature of the music, exemplified brilliantly by this song ("a world where all is free... only a fool would say that"). Dias' guitar solo is reminiscent of Wes Montgomery here, and Baxter gets in some spoken-word Spanish at the tail end (which apparently came from a beer commercial the band was working on at the time).

"Reelin' in the Years" kicks off side two and is probably the most well-known of the earlier material (excepting maybe "Rikki Don't Lose That Number"). I'm not sure I agree with the "classic" status of the song, maybe due to overexposure, but it's still great fun to listen to and those vocal harmonies in the chorus are amazing. Randall gets off another solo here, this time spread out over pretty much the entire song (except for the verses). If you can track down the Quadraphonic mix of this album, you have the benefit of hearing more guitar fills behind the choruses if you're into that sort of thing.

"Fire in the Hole" is probably the strangest one yet, built on a slow, somewhat slick half-time groove with lumbering piano. (Not sure what the lyrics are supposed to refer to: Vietnam maybe?) Fagen has the only actual piano solo on the record, a gem of understated brilliance. Baxter rides a pedal-steel solo over the fade-out, not the last time we'd hear him on that particular axe. I was always more into the "deep cuts" from the band's early days, and if I had any inclination to make a "top 5 SD songs" list, this would have been on it for sure (of course the order would have changed from day to day).

"Brooklyn" is a holdout from the Becker and Fagen demo tapes, retooled significantly for this album (the demo is at a slower tempo and sounds a lot like a Bob Dylan track from that time). Palmer sings lead on this tale about a blue- collar worker and his wife who live out their existence in some hole-in-the-wall apartment in the titular borough of New York City and feel that they are entitled to a better way of living. Baxter is featured on steel guitar throughout, lending the track a country-rock flavor (although with just a bit more sophistication than the contemporaneous Eagles).

"Change of the Guard" shows how much Becker and Fagen wanted to find an audience for their material when they came to LA from New York (this was one of their first demos on the left coast). The lyrics are about as cheerful and optimistic as the band would ever get (right down to the "la-la-la"s in the chorus), and Baxter has another solo on the six-stringed axe, a flash that points to later solos like on "My Old School" (uncharacteristically for the band, the solo ends with a pick scrape on the lower strings that takes full advantage of the stereo mix).

"Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" is undoubtedly the album's most complex track (although not overly so) and probably the one I would point to when describing the band's "prog" status. The track is peppered with strong chord changes and transitions throughout, most notably in the verses and the instrumental section. The latter is possibly the highlight of the record, featuring a beautiful melody doubled by Baxter's guitar and Fagen's organ from "Do It Again" (identified as a "plastic organ" in the album credits). The song closes with a jolt of harmony vocals by Fagen, Becker and Palmer followed by wind chimes (?) over the last chord, and so ends "Can't Buy a Thrill".

I think this is a solid record and if it's not the best debut album ever, it comes very close. I still get a great deal of satisfaction and nostalgia when listening to any Steely Dan record, and even if "Do It Again" and "Reelin'" are a bit overplayed, they're still objectively great songs. The discerning listener will find much to enjoy in the other tracks as well, and if you're looking for jazz-infused rock with a sarcastic, biting lyrical bent (or if you're already into these guys and you just want more of the same), I recommend this album highly. 4 stars out of 5.

Steely Dan's debut album, "Can't Buy a Thrill", was released in 1972, and was the least jazzy of what they would sound like by the end of their career. But there was still that jazz edge to it, and it was still infectious. The public welcomed them well as the album ended up with two enduring hits. The lineup was definitely more that just Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, though they were definitely there, but Fagen also wasn't the only lead singer at the time either. Becker stays on bass on this album and the guitars are handled by Jeff Baxter and Denny Dias. Jeff "Skunk" Baxter was also a regular member, but would later go off and be a Doobie Brother. Sure, there is a lot more history to it all than that, but there really is no need to go over all of that since it has been done many times before.

The album opens with the rollicking hit "Do It Again" featuring Fagen on vocals and that definitive guitar and sitar solo. This is one of those tracks that everyone knows intimately. This was followed by another hit, this time much lesser known, "Dirty Work". Though not as catchy, it is still memorable and sung by session musician David Palmer. "Kings" is a return to the catchy track, but missing that guitar hook. Nevertheless, the track is upbeat and has a great jazzy instrumental break with some dissonance thrown in to prove that this was not just another rock band. The track also uses the trademark backing female vocals that you would hear more often in their later music. "Midnight Cruiser" is a bit more mellow, but with a memorable chorus. Jim Hodder sings lead vocals on this one, but his voice has got the vulnerability that Fagen's does, and so it fits in well. You can definitely hear Fagen in the chorus though. The guitar solo is a bit heavier in this one and also features two guitars. "Only a Fool Would Say That" has a lighter jazz touch to it and sounds similar to their later tracks, especially since Fagen sings lead. The spoken Spanish vocal at the end is done by Baxter.

"Reelin' in the Years" another well-known hit opens side 2. Again, there is the excellent guitar solo played by session musician Elliot Randall that most everyone is familiar with, and a leaning to a more standard rock sound, but an excellent song nonetheless. Again, Fagen does the lead. "Fire in the Hole" has a nice piano led intro and instrumental break with a hard stomp sound to it. This is yet another Fagen led vocal and moves back to a jazz sound with a more complex melody. Baxter is doing the pedal steel guitar here and has his own nice solo on the last break. "Brooklyn" also sees Baxter on the pedal steel but is sung by David Palmer again and has a nice chorus. It is a straightforward, almost country rock sound to it, especially with another steel solo. Palmer also sings lead on "Change of the Guard" which also is a teensy bit heavier with a strong backbeat and a nice dual guitar solo. "Turn that Heartbeat Over Again" closes the album and features Walter Becker helping out both Fagen and Palmer on vocals. It also has a more complex sound to it and mixes rock and jazz nicely.

Though it is a bit different from the later albums, it is still an enjoyable album from Steely Dan in their earliest years. It is a great debut album and shows hints of where the music would eventually lead to. Because it is an enjoyable album, it is tempting to rate it higher than it should be, but I honestly think that it is better than a 3 star album because it is done quite well and showcases the bands talent. Personally, I would give it at least a 4 star rating, but for the purposes of this site, I must consider it 3 stars because it isn't that progressive. So that is the reason for the low rating. But don't let that deter you from obtaining this album.

My knowledge on Steely Dan happens to currently be contained almost exclusively to this album and Aja, but these 2 seem to have painted both a good picture of the band as a whole and the sort of progression of their sound from smooth pop rock to even smoother jazz rock. Smooth really is the best word to use for this music, with even the most technical moments still have an undeniable polished feel to them. While this sort of music can very easily fall into the territory of inoffensive shlock that ends up sounding like elevator music, Can't Buy A Thrill, and really Steely Dan on the whole manage to avoid this with a combination of good songwriting and juxtaposing this smoothness with a very cynical, sarcastic edge that lends towards giving them an entertaining charm. When it comes down to it, this album doesn't really have a lot to it outside of this sort of charm, being little more than a collection of catchy, sometimes anthemic pop rock songs that can worm there way into the listener's head and sit there for a while, with some great playing throughout that ends up being equally as ear catching as the hooks, not that there's anything remotely wrong with that.

The album kicks off with what's by far its best track, Do It Again, with a funky bassline and even sounding a bit like a Santana song, with a bit of that latin rock edge solidifying this sort of comparison. The vocal melodies are particularly on point, along with the way that this segues into a wonderful solo that's both somewhat fast paced yet having that airy, laid back feel to it as to not feel out of place. While the album's been largely praise so far, there are definitely a couple of issues I do have with it, one of the biggest being its use of jazzier elements sounding a bit superficial. What I mean by this comes from the fact that in Dirty Work most of all, it feels as if they decided to have some jazziness but thought that jazz just meant saxophone and piano and left it at that, making some of the songs here sound far inferior than they could have, even if Dirty Work's verses are still nice enough regardless. While there are definitely songs I prefer on the album, Kings is probably the song I'd point towards that reflects the band's sound the best, being quite soft sounding, a catchy hook, and some underlying sense of melancholy and sarcasm to the seemingly positive music. This song's also nicely capped off with one of the best guitar solos on the album, giving it a bit of an additional edge over a lot of other songs here. Both Midnite Cruiser and Only a Fool Would Say That aren't particularly amazingly memorable, but are both examples of chilled out, feel-good songs that are perfect for putting on and kicking back to.

The other big problem with this album comes from the fact that the 2nd side is for the most part a massive drop in quality, kicking off with Reelin' In The Years, which basically feels like the antithesis of everything that makes this album good, even though this is another catchy song. There's an almost taunting quality to the chorus that feels outright grating, and the overbearing sarcasm just ends up being too much to really enjoy, not to mention that the vocals just don't feel like they work here in the somewhat higher register. Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me) similarly just doesn't work, though in this case it largely comes down to the fact it's both extremely repetitive but without a good chorus to even attempt to salvage it, leading to an experience that's boring at best and annoying at worst, without even having the semblance of trying something comparatively interesting. While both Change of the Guard and Turn That Heartbeat Over Again are serviceable but nothing special, there's one other great song on the album, that being Fire in the Hole, which is far and away the most energetic track, with a strongly bouncy, groovy piano, a genuinely extremely fun verse, and solos that barely divert at all from the core sound of the song, hard to say much more about this song, but it's a real treat to listen to.

On the whole, while this album definitely has some issues in terms of pacing, consistency and its sound in general sometimes being a bit off with its attempts at jazziness, at its core, this is a solid, comfy sounding pop rock album that's very easy to throw on and just relax to. The album also sounds extremely polished, funny to say considering that all of Steely Dan's albums past this point were even more so, but it's nonetheless completely accurate to say for this album as well. It's also a bit of a shame that none of the songs are able to quite match the absolute greatness of Do it Again and to a slightly lesser extent, Fire in the Hole, but even so, there isn't too much here that I'd consider outright bad either. This album isn't really incredible and definitely seems like the band went on to strongly refine their sound further down the line, but I can't deny that I found it quite enjoyable to listen to regardless. Definitely give it a listen if you're more into this sort of easy to listen to, chilled out sound, because this album seems tailored towards that sort of listening experience.

Best tracks: Do it Again, Kings, Fire in the Hole

Weakest tracks: Reelin' In the Years, Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)

Steely Dan takes the listener on a true ride with their very first studio album 'Can't Buy a Thrill'; going all the way from hard rock to jazz, R&B, soft rock, some blues and Latin rock, and adding a tint of prog in the atmosphere, you get a trailblazer of a record that sounds as good as ever at the verge of its fiftieth anniversary - a true sign that it was quality over quantity for this American band.

Formed in 1971 by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, Steely Dan, a band named after a dildo in a William S. Burroughs novel, is one of the somewhat underappreciated classic rock acts, which would of course mean that they never reached the mainstream appeal of other giant bands like Deep Purple, or Fleetwood Mac, or even The Eagles, should we name a few. The music of Steely Dan, however, is no less spectacular. And then again, hard rock or rock'n'roll would not be a very helpful tag for SD for the ones that have not heard this band; Their music reaches so many different places and creates such an unmatched atmosphere with its pleasant gush of classy rock tunes that might be considered sophisti-pop on some occasions.

All of this should come as no surprise, given the stellar line-up and the presence of three different vocalists throughout the record, all of which have excellent and memorable voices. Donald Fagen handles the keyboard and lead vocal duties, Walter Becker the bass and backing vocals, Jim Hoder the drums and the lead vocals on 'Midnite Cruiser', Daved Palmer on vocals as well, and finally Jeff Baxter and Denny Dias on guitars.

The warm and virtually perfect production hits you from the opening notes of 'Do It Again', arguably their most famous song, a jazzy, steady-paced soft rocker that contains one of the most memorable choruses in all of 70s rock music; on top of that, the instrumental breaks are marvelous (not only here, but throughout the whole album). Then comes 'Dirty Work', a sing-along radio rocker that is much more appealing than one could expect from such a stripped-down song. 'Kings' has beautiful vocal harmonies, another hit for Steely Dan; 'Midnite Cruiser' could be described as a combination of the three songs that preceded it, and 'Only a Fool Would Say That' is a gentle nod to Latin rock, with yet another memorable chorus, great instrumental work and fine vocal work.

Opening side two is 'Reelin' in the Years' that is followed by 'Fire in the Hole' and I can say that both of these songs are simply legendary; Moreover, all of the above descriptions apply for them as well - amazing songwriting, top-level production, instrumental prowess and beautiful vocals, a mixture of the band's rock and blues roots and their jazzy, almost radio-friendly inclinations. The rest of the album is contained in songs like 'Brooklyn', a slow-paced track with lead vocals from Palmer, 'Change of the Guard' and 'Turn That Heartbeat Over Again', a really strong composition.

Not all classic bands began their careers with excellent releases. Steely Dan did, and what is more, they presented an unmatched palette of sounds, a vibrant energy and masterful songwriting, all resulting in the creation of what is evidently one of the most enjoyable albums ever recorded. The diversity in this album alone, the somewhat philosophical lyrics, the masterful way of composing with the minimal number of notes and the laid-back swagger of the songs, are all adding up to the charm of this really excellent record and band.

It's a bit strange to imagine a period in Steely Dan's career in which they were actually a full-fledged band, but that era does indeed exist. Prior to Walter Becker and Donald Fagen's transition to full-time studio experimentation, their first three records had a solid lineup of musicians to record and tour with. But even in this early phase, their perfectionist tendencies led to members leaving left and right; some of them, such as singer David Palmer, only had one stint with the duo because of clashing personalities and simply not fitting in stylistically. Hey, even back then Becker and Fagen knew what they wanted out of their musicians! In hindsight, it's no wonder they eventually stuck with only session players. But if you want to hear an aural snapshot of the time Steely Dan were the closest to being an actual band, Can't Buy a Thrill will provide just that.

As debut albums go, this one is surprisingly accomplished. Although it tends to be much poppier and softer than future records, the jazz influences and cynical lyricism still surface pretty prominently. If you're a casual Steely Dan listener, you probably at least know "Do It Again" and "Reelin' in the Years"; they still get tons of airplay to this day, and it's not without reason. The former's latin flavor and sitar-esque guitar work result in instant memorability, while the latter matches rich vocal harmonies with a sunshine pop atmosphere to great effect. Not to mention, you've got Elliott Randall's amazing lead guitar work in that tune, which frequently graces several "best guitar solo" lists even today. But what makes Can't Buy a Thrill so interesting is the experimentation found in several of the deep cuts. This may actually be the most diverse Steely Dan album, despite still maintaining the level of focus that usually goes into their songwriting. Elements of pop, soft rock, folk, and even country creep into their usual jazz rock sound; this level of variety really makes the album's runtime fly by, as it ensures the tracklist doesn't get homogeneous.

Let's get into those deeper cuts, shall we? I'll break it down by genre. To represent the pop and soft rock elements, we've got "Dirty Work", "Only a Fool Would Say That", "Midnite Cruiser", and "Change of the Guard". Can't Buy a Thrill is probably Steely Dan's most easygoing record, and it's mostly due to these cuts; with that said, there's still some really solid songwriting here. "Dirty Work" and "Midnite Cruiser" are two of the only songs that aren't sung by Fagen - they're sung by Palmer and drummer Jim Hodder respectively - and it's interesting to hear how their voices blend with Becker and Fagen's musical/lyrical aesthetic. The former is particularly noteworthy as Palmer's soft, warm voice contrasts wonderfully with the song's harsh lyrics about having an affair; you can tell the band's penchant for being subversive and witty was already being established here. Meanwhile, the folk rock side has the smooth slide guitar of the country-influenced "Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)" and the wonderful three-part vocal harmonies of closer "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again". Both go a long way in making the record a more multifaceted experience, though perhaps "Brooklyn" sounds a bit cheesy and dated by today's standards.

Finally, the jazz rock sound would be represented by the likes of "Do It Again", "Kings", "Reelin' in the Years", and "Fire in the Hole". Now that might seem like a small number of jazz-based tunes compared to what's found on later efforts, and that's because it is. And while "Kings" and "Fire in the Hole" are fantastic efforts that demonstrate Fagen's underrated piano skills, one wishes that more of these types of songs were on the record. The album's diversity is to be admired, but the whole thing still feels quite embryonic compared to the sound and aesthetic the main songwriting duo would perfect in the future. Still, Can't Buy a Thrill is a strikingly solid launching pad for what would become one of the most unique and fascinating bands to grace the 70s. Interestingly enough, Becker and Fagen both called the record a rush job despite putting in several months of writing and recording before its release. I suppose it's a testament to how dedicated they were to crafting just the right sound and style, something that would become more evident with every passing album. But if Can't Buy a Thrill is considered a "rush job", then I wish more rush jobs were this good.

Their wonderful debut album filled with great pop-rock songs made its mark on the top 40 and introduced their unique sound and style to the world. Contains their most straight-forward, accessible, and radio-friendly songs, showing great melodies and hooks, but also being uniquely Steely Dan. The different lead vocals (David Palmer and drummer Jim Hodder) on some songs is a bit unsettling relative to the more familiar Fagen vocals, but the songs are great. Best songs-'Only a Fool Would Say That', 'Reelin' in the Years', 'Do It Again', 'Change of the Guard'. Sure, this is not prog, but it is still great, and has most of those quirky Steely Dan moments. Rating: 4.5