Can't Buy a Thrill

Can't Buy a Thrill is the debut studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released by ABC Records in November 1972. It was written by band members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, and recorded in August 1972 at the Village Recorder in West Los Angeles, California, with producer Gary Katz. The album is one of Steely Dan's most stylistically eclectic, encompassing the sounds of soft rock, folk rock, jazz-rock and pop, alongside philosophical, elliptical lyrics.

Can't Buy a Thrill
Studio album by Steely Dan
Released	November 1972
Recorded	August 1972
Studio	The Village Recorder (West Los Angeles)
Genre	Jazz-rock soft rock^[1] pop^[2] folk rock^[3]
Length	40:57
Label	ABC
Producer	Gary Katz
Steely Dan chronology
Can't Buy a Thrill (1972) Countdown to Ecstasy (1973)
Singles from Can't Buy a Thrill
"Do It Again" Released: November 1972^[4] "Reelin' In the Years" Released: March 1973

A commercial success, in the United States the album peaked at number 17 on the Billboard albums chart, bolstered by the popular singles "Do It Again" and "Reelin' In the Years", and was eventually certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was also met with positive reviews, and has appeared on many retrospective "greatest albums" lists, including Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000) and Rolling Stone magazine's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" (2003).

Recording

Steely Dan recorded the album in August 1972^[5] at the Village Recorder in Los Angeles.^[6] Two songs recorded during the Can't Buy a Thrill sessions were left off the album and released as a single: "Dallas" b/w "Sail the Waterway".^[7] This is the only Steely Dan album to include David Palmer as a lead vocalist, having been recruited after Donald Fagen expressed concerns over singing live.^{[citation needed]} Drummer Jim Hodder contributes lead vocals on one song, "Midnite Cruiser" (sometimes spelled "Midnight Cruiser"); he also sang "Dallas". By the time recording of the next album began, the band and producer Gary Katz had convinced Fagen to assume the full lead vocalist role.^{[citation needed]}

Music and lyrics

According to writers Marjorie Galen and Gordon Matthews, Can't Buy a Thrill features an upbeat soft rock style.^[1] Music journalist Paul Lester said it incorporates mambo, swing, jazz, and Latin musical elements.^[8] Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that "there are very few of the jazz flourishes that came to distinguish their [later] albums", but added that the first single from the album, "Do It Again", incorporates a tight Latin jazz beat, while the second single, "Reelin' In the Years", features jazzy guitar solos and harmonies.^[2] Robert Christgau described "Do It Again" as a toned-down mambo song with "tragic" lyrics about a "compulsive" loser.^[9]

"Fire in the Hole", which features "angry, strident piano" by Fagen, takes its title from a phrase used by American soldiers in Vietnam, and alludes to the many students who evaded the draft in the late 1960s and early 1970s (Becker and Fagen included).^[10]

Title and packaging

The title of the album is a reference to the opening line of the Bob Dylan song "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry".^[11] The album cover features a photomontage by Robert Lockart.^[12][13] It includes an image of a line of prostitutes standing in a red-light area in Rouen, France, waiting for clients, which was chosen because of its relevance to the album title.^[14] In the liner notes to a reissue of The Royal Scam (1976), Walter Becker and Donald Fagen jokingly claimed that The Royal Scam possessed "the most hideous album cover of the seventies, bar none (excepting perhaps Can't Buy a Thrill)." The cover was banned in Francisco Franco's Spain and replaced by a photograph of the band playing in concert.^{[15][better source needed]}

Release

Can't Buy a Thrill was released in the United States by ABC Records in November 1972, and in the United Kingdom by Probe Records in January 1973.^[16] The album was released in a two-channel stereo mix, as well as in a four-channel quadraphonic mix.^[17]

The album peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart,^[18] and Dunhill Records reissued the album in the U.S. on August 22, 1973.^[19] On May 31, 1973, Can't Buy a Thrill was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), recognizing the shipment of 500,000 copies in the U.S.; it was certified Platinum on September 7, 1993, recognizing the shipment of 1,000,000 copies.^[19]

Critical reception

Retrospective professional reviews

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Chicago Tribune	^[20]
Christgau's Record Guide	A^[21]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[22]
The Great Rock Discography	8/10^[23]
Music Story	^[23]
MusicHound Rock	5/5^[23]
Pitchfork	8.6/10^[24]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[3]
Tom Hull – on the Web	A^[25]

Reviewing the album in November 1972 for Rolling Stone, James Isaacs said Can't Buy a Thrill is "distinguished by three top-level cuts and scattered moments of inspiration," but felt the band occasionally sounded "limp".^[26] In his review for Creem, Robert Christgau deemed the package "A hit single with a good album attached", and said he found the lyrics "oblique, even philosophical [...] as befit a band named after a dildo in a William Burroughs novel."^[a][30] In Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Christgau expounded on his original praise, writing: "Think of the Dan as the first post-boogie band: the beat swings more than it blasts or blisters, the chord changes defy our primitive subconscious expectations, and the lyrics underline their own difficulty—as well as the difficulty of the reality to which they refer—with arbitrary personal allusions, most of which are ruses."^[21]

In a retrospective review for BBC Music, Paul Lester said the album is so "fully-formed [...] that you would scarcely believe that it's their debut", and contains "tightly constructed songs with dazzling hooks, clever, cryptic lyrics, and vocals that offer teasing critiques for those that want them."^[8] Writing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the songs on the album "subvert traditional conventions" and are "tightly constructed, with interlocking chords and gracefully interwoven melodies, buoyed by clever, cryptic lyrics", but criticized the contributions of vocalist David Palmer, writing that he "oversings the handful of tracks where he takes the lead", which caused Becker and Fagen to temper "their wildest impulses with mainstream pop techniques."^[2] In a review included in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Rob Sheffield was somewhat less impressed by the album, calling it "mellow folk rock" that was "softened" by Palmer, who "sounds like he's nervous about where his wallet is".^[3]

Can't Buy a Thrill has appeared on many retrospective "greatest albums" lists.^[31] In 2000, it was voted number 207 in Colin Larkin's book All Time Top 1000 Albums.^[32] In 2003, it was ranked number 238 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time";^[33] it was number 240 on the 2012 update of the list,^[34] and number 168 on the 2020 version.^[35] Based on such rankings, the aggregate website Acclaimed Music lists Can't Buy a Thrill as the 557th-most acclaimed album in history, as well as the 154th-most acclaimed album from the 1970s, and the 13th-most acclaimed from 1972.^[31] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen

Side one

No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Do It Again"	Fagen	5:56
2.	"Dirty Work"	Palmer	3:08
3.	"Kings"	Fagen	3:45
4.	"Midnite Cruiser"	Hodder	4:07
5.	"Only a Fool Would Say That"	Fagen with Palmer	2:57

Side two

No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
6.	"Reelin' In the Years"	Fagen	4:37
7.	"Fire in the Hole"	Fagen	3:28
8.	"Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)"	Palmer	4:21
9.	"Change of the Guard"	Fagen with Palmer	3:39
10.	"Turn That Heartbeat Over Again"	Fagen with Palmer and Becker	4:58
Total length:			40:57

Personnel

Steely Dan Jeff "Skunk" Baxter – guitar, pedal steel guitar, spoken Spanish (the end of track 5) Walter Becker – electric bass guitar, co-lead vocals (10), backing vocals Denny Dias – guitar, electric sitar Donald Fagen – piano, electric piano, plastic organ (YC-30), lead vocals (all except 2,4,8), backing vocals Jim Hodder – drums, percussion, lead vocals (4), backing vocals David Palmer – lead vocals (2,8), co-lead vocals (5,9,10), backing vocals Additional musicians Elliott Randall – lead guitar (3,6) Victor Feldman – percussion Jerome Richardson – tenor saxophone (2) Snooky Young – flugelhorn (2) Clydie King, Sherlie Matthews, Venetta Fields – backing vocals (3,8)

Production Gary Katz – producer Roger Nichols – engineer Tim Weston – assistant engineer Doug Sax – mastering engineer Robert Lockart – cover design Tristan Fabriani (Walter Becker & Donald Fagen) – liner notes Reissue Walter Becker, Donald Fagen – producers Roger Nichols – remastering engineer Vartan – art direction Red Herring Design/NYC – design Daniel Levitin – consultant

Charts

Album

Chart (1972-76)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[36]	46
US Billboard Top LPs & Tape^[18]	17

Chart (2022)	Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[37]	84

Singles

Year	Single	Catalogue number	Peak position	Chart
1973	"Do It Again" (3:57 edit) (B-side: "Fire in the Hole")	ABC 11338	6	US Billboard Hot 100^[38]
1973	"Reelin' In the Years" (B-side: "Only a Fool Would Say That")	ABC 11352	11

References

1. Galen & Matthews 2007, p. 120.
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Can't Buy a Thrill - Steely Dan : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
3. Sheffield et al. 2004, p. 778–89.
4. Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 782. ISBN 9780862415419.
5. "Can't Buy a Thrill by Steely Dan". classicrockreview.com. November 7, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
6. "Can't Buy A Thrill CD". Rakuten.com. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
7. "Steely Dan - Dallas".
8. Lester, Paul (February 19, 2012). "Review of Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill". BBC Music. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
9. Christgau 1981, p. 370.
10. Sweet, Brian (2007). "II: Shuffling Up Your Downs". (2007) Steely Dan: Reelin' In The Years (3rd ed.). Wise Publications. p. 94. ISBN 978-1846-09881-9. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
11. Andy Gill (1998). Don't Think Twice It's Alright. p. 85. ISBN 1-56025-185-9.
12. Sampaio, Gerard (2006). "Steely Dan: Can't Buy a Thrill". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Universe Publishing. p. 257. ISBN 978-0-7893-1371-3.
13. "Can't Buy A Thrill Album Cover | Pure Music". April 5, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
14. . Music.Yahoo.com. 2006-09-11. Archived from the original on 2006-09-11. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
15. "Steely Dan – Can't Buy A Thrill: Probe J062-94.410 (Spain, 1973)". discogs.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
16. Strong, Martin Charles (2004). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate U.S. p. 1449. ISBN 1841956155. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
17. Marino, Toni (April 5, 2019). "Steely Dan's Debut Album Proves You Can Buy a Thrill". Pure-music.co.uk. Pure Music Manufacturing. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
18. "Steely Dan Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
19. "American album certifications – Steely Dan". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
20. Kot, Greg (August 16, 1992). "Thrills, Scams and Nightflys". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
21. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 9, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
22. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
23. . Acclaimed Music. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
24. Geffen, Sasha (November 20, 2019). "Steely Dan: Can't Buy a Thrill". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
25. Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: Steely Dan". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
26. Isaacs, James (November 23, 1972). "Can't Buy a Thrill". Rolling Stone. New York. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
27. "The Return of Steely Dan". Mojo Magazine. October 1995. Retrieved December 15, 2006.
28. . Archived from the original on December 27, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2007.
29. Burroughs, Williams S. (1962). Naked Lunch (1991 reprint ed.). New York: Grove Press. p. 77.
30. Christgau, Robert (April 1973). "The Christgau Consumer Guide". Creem. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
31. "Steely Dan – Can't Buy a Thrill". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
32. Colin Larkin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 102. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
33. Levy, Joe; Steven Van Zandt (2006) [2005]. "238 | Can't Buy a Thrill - Steely Dan". (3rd ed.). London: Turnaround. ISBN 1-932958-61-4. OCLC 70672814. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2006.
34. "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
35. "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
36. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 292. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
37. "Offiziellecharts.de – Steely Dan – Can't Buy a Thrill" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
38. "Steely Dan Chart History: Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 8 February 2020.

Notes

1. The novel is Burroughs' Naked Lunch (1959). Becker and Fagen were fans of Beat Generation literature.^[27][28][29]

Bibliography

• Galen, Marjorie; Matthews, Gordon (September 1, 2007). Legends of Rock. Dalmatian Press. ISBN 978-1403737199.
• Sheffield, Rob; et al. (November 2, 2004). Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

External links