245. Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill (1972)
















Track Listing

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

Review

Steely Dan gives us a strangely appealing mix of Adult Oriented Rock and Jazz in this album. It is appealing because it soon gets under your skin and you start humming the tunes, and strange because although it seems very accessible at first listen you do eventually start noticing pretty intricacies to the music.

Good examples of intricate work in this album include the first track with it's electronic sitar and cheap yamaha organ with theramin solo or the second track with it's almost Morphine-like brass. Even Fire In The Hole has really interesting piano work. In all tracks, really, you can find something which kicks the tracks that essential notch above the comercial AOR bar.

The lyrics are also pretty fascinating, and Steely manage to make an album which is at the same time both easy to get in to and rewarding to listen to repeatedly, which really is something that most pop acts aim to do and fail miserably at. This is a near perfect collection of tracks and even if is not your style of music, it really deserves an effort on your part. Get it from Amazon UK or US.

Track Highlights

1. Do It Again
2. Fire In The Hole
3. Dirty Work
2. Reelin' In The Years

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Produced by Katz and recorded by Roger Nichols at ABC Studios, their debut album, Can't Buy A Thrill, was released in 1972 and made an immediate impression with the hit singles "Do It Again", the Palmer-sung "Dirty Work" (later covered by Max Merritt), and "Reelin' In The Years." Both "Do It Again" and "Reelin' In The Years" hit the Top Ten on the Billboard singles chart. All three tunes soon became staples of FM radio. "Reelin' In The Years" also features an acclaimed guitar solo by Elliott Randall.

Because of Fagen's reluctance to sing live, David Palmer handled most of the vocal duties on stage. During the first tour, it became apparent to Katz and Becker that Palmer's interpretation of the material wasn't having the same impact, and eventually convinced Fagen that he was the one who best conveyed the attitude and meaning of the songs. Palmer quietly left the group during the recording of the second album, soon hooking up with Carole King, with whom he wrote the 1974 #1 hit, "Jazzman."

Do It Again: