





Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill
Rarity - Sealed - Mint conditions
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Donald Fagen – acoustic and electric pianos, plastic (YC-30) organ, lead vocals (except on "Dirty Work", "Midnite Cruiser", and "Brooklyn"), backing vocals [click here to see more vinyl featuring Donald Fagen]
David Palmer – lead vocals on "Dirty Work" and "Brooklyn", backing vocals
Jeff "Skunk" Baxter – guitar, pedal steel guitar, spoken word on "Only a Fool Would Say That"
Denny Dias – guitar, electric sitar
Walter Becker – electric bass, backing vocals
Jim Hodder – drums, percussion, lead vocal on "Midnite Cruiser", backing vocals
Elliott Randall – lead guitar on "Kings" and "Reelin in the Years"
Jerome Richardson – tenor saxophone
Snooky Young – flugelhorn
Victor Feldman – percussion
Venetta Fields, Clydie King, Sherlie Matthews – backing vocals on "Brooklyn" and "Kings"
All songs written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.
1 LP, gatefold
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : Black
Speed : 33RPM
Size : 12”
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Pallas
Label : Speakers Corner
Original Label : ABC
Recorded August 1972 at The Village Recorder, Los Angeles
Engineered and mixed by Roger Nichols
Produced by Gary Katz
Originally released in November 1972
Reissued in 2000
Tracks:
Side A:
- Do It Again
- Dirty Work
- Kings
- Midnite Cruiser
- Only a Fool Would Say That
Side B:
- Reelin' in the Years
- Fire in the Hole
- Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)
- Change of the Guard
- Turn That Heartbeat Over Again
Awards:
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Ranked 168/500
Colin Larkin’s All Time Top 1000 Albums - Ranked 207
The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
Reviews :
“Musically, Can’t Buy A Thrill feels more three-dimensional on this UHQR edition than on other versions I’ve heard. Overall, the sound is super-clear and crisp, but ultimately presents the music more warmly than the standard 180g 1LP edition does. When you compare them side by side, you start noticing the differences between the UHQR and the standard edition — the sizzling cymbals aren’t quite as sizzly on the standard version, for one thing, and, comparatively, the vocals take on a bit of that raw edge around them. Plus, the congas feel less natural-sounding on the standard edition.
(…) Everything about this edition is super deluxe. The whole consumer experience is sumptuous, down to the outer album box’s wooden-spined, drawer style design, loosely reminiscent of certain deluxe edition releases from the 1950s by labels such as Angel Records and Everest Records — albeit much more striking with this edition.
The 200g clear vinyl has that heft of a vintage record from the 1950s and/or early-1960s — and, frankly, it seems extra-substantial to me. Is it because these LPs were pressed in such limited quantity by hand? If I can get extra-obsessive about it for a moment, this vinyl just feels nice in my hands, with silky smooth curves crafted with a sort of handmade precision more akin to something you might pick up from a skilled blacksmith or a woodworker, as opposed to churned out of a machine press.” Mark Smotroff, AnalogPlanet, Nov 15, 2022
“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. All of these are hallmarks of Steely Dan's signature sound, but what is most remarkable about the record is the way it differs from their later albums. Of course, one of the most notable differences is the presence of vocalist David Palmer, a professional blue-eyed soul vocalist who oversings the handful of tracks where he takes the lead. Palmer's very presence signals the one major flaw with the album -- in an attempt to appeal to a wide audience, Becker and Fagen tempered their wildest impulses with mainstream pop techniques. Consequently, there are very few of the jazz flourishes that came to distinguish their albums -- the breakthrough single, "Do It Again," does work an impressively tight Latin jazz beat, and "Reelin' in the Years" has jazzy guitar solos and harmonies -- and the production is overly polished, conforming to all the conventions of early-'70s radio. Of course, that gives these decidedly twisted songs a subversive edge, but compositionally, these aren't as innovative as their later work. Even so, the best moments ("Dirty Work," "Kings," "Midnight Cruiser," "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again") are wonderful pop songs that subvert traditional conventions and more than foreshadow the paths Steely Dan would later take.” AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Ratings :
AllMusic : 4.5 / 5 , Discogs : 4.4 / 5 ; AnalogPlanet : Music 8 / 11 , Sound : 9 / 11