Can't Buy a Thrill

Last updated
Can't Buy a Thrill
Cant buy a tcant buy a thrill.jpg
Studio album by
Steely Dan
ReleasedNovember 1972
RecordedAugust 1972
Studio Village Recorder, Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length40:57
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
  1. "Do It Again"
    Released: November 1972 [4]
  2. "Reelin' In the Years"
    Released: March 1973

Can't Buy a Thrill is the debut studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released in November 1972, by ABC Records. It was written by band members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, and recorded in August 1972 at the Village Recorder in Los Angeles 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.

Contents

A commercial success, Can't Buy a Thrill peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape 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 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 images of muscle-men and a line of prostitutes (standing in Rue du Gros-Horloge in Rouen, France),[ citation needed ] 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 said 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
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [20]
Christgau's Record Guide A [21]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [22]
The Great Rock Discography 8/10 [23]
Music Story Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg[ citation needed ]
MusicHound Rock 5/5 [24]
Pitchfork 8.6/10 [25]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Tom Hull – on the Web A [26]

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". [27] 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." [lower-alpha 1] [31] 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 retrospective "greatest albums" lists. 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] 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.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Do It Again"Fagen5:56
2."Dirty Work"Palmer3:08
3."Kings"Fagen3:45
4."Midnite Cruiser"Hodder4:07
5."Only a Fool Would Say That"Fagen with Palmer2:57
Side two
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
6."Reelin' In the Years"Fagen4:37
7."Fire in the Hole"Fagen3:28
8."Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)"Palmer4:21
9."Change of the Guard"Fagen with Palmer3:39
10."Turn That Heartbeat Over Again"Fagen with Palmer and Becker4:58
Total length:40:57

Personnel

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

YearSinglePeak
position		Chart
1973"Do It Again" (3:57 edit)6US Billboard Hot 100 [38]
1973"Reelin' In the Years"11

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steely Dan</span> American rock band

Steely Dan is an American rock band formed in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, in 1971 by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Originally having a full band lineup, Becker and Fagen chose to stop playing live by the end of 1974 and continued Steely Dan as a studio-only duo, utilizing a revolving cast of session musicians. Rolling Stone has called them "the perfect musical antiheroes for the seventies".

<i>Pretzel Logic</i> 1974 studio album by Steely Dan

Pretzel Logic is the third studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released on February 20, 1974, by ABC Records. It was recorded at the Village Recorder in West Los Angeles, California, with producer Gary Katz. The album was Steely Dan's last to be made and released while the group was still an active touring band, as well as the final album to feature the band's full quintet-lineup of Becker, Fagen, Denny Dias, Jim Hodder, and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, though it also features significant contributions from many prominent Los Angeles-based studio musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Fagen</span> American musician (born 1948)

Donald Jay Fagen is an American musician who was the co-founder, lead singer, co-songwriter, and keyboardist of the band Steely Dan, formed in the early 1970s with musical partner Walter Becker. In addition to his work with Steely Dan, Fagen has released four solo albums, beginning with The Nightfly in 1982, which was nominated for seven Grammys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Becker</span> American musician, songwriter, and record producer (1950–2017)

Walter Carl Becker was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter of the jazz rock band Steely Dan.

<i>Aja</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Steely Dan

Aja is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Steely Dan, released on September 23, 1977, by ABC Records. On the album, band leaders Donald Fagen and Walter Becker pushed Steely Dan further into experimenting with different combinations of session players, enlisting the services of nearly 40 musicians, while pursuing longer, more sophisticated compositions and arrangements.

<i>Countdown to Ecstasy</i> 1973 studio album by Steely Dan

Countdown to Ecstasy is the second studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released in July 1973, by ABC Records. It was recorded at the Village Recorder in West Los Angeles, California, except for Rick Derringer's slide guitar part for "Show Biz Kids", which was recorded at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado. After the departure of vocalist David Palmer from Steely Dan, the group recorded the album with Donald Fagen singing lead on every track.

<i>Katy Lied</i> 1975 studio album by Steely Dan

Katy Lied is the fourth studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released in March 1975, by ABC Records; reissues have since been released by MCA Records due to ABC's acquisition by the former in 1979. It was the first album the group made after they stopped touring, as well as their first to feature backing vocals by Michael McDonald.

<i>The Royal Scam</i> 1976 studio album by Steely Dan

The Royal Scam is the fifth studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released in May 1976, by ABC Records; reissues have since been released by MCA Records due ABC's acquisition by the former in 1979. It was produced by Gary Katz. In the United States, the album peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, and it has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

<i>Gaucho</i> (album) 1980 studio album by Steely Dan

Gaucho is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Steely Dan, released by MCA Records on November 21, 1980. The album marked a significant stylistic shift for the band, with more focus on rhythm and atmosphere than their earlier work, but the recording sessions demonstrated the group's typical obsessive nature and perfectionism, as they used at least 42 different musicians, spent over a year in the studio, and far exceeded the original monetary advance given by the record label. At the 24th Annual Grammy Awards, Gaucho won Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical, and was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

<i>Alive in America</i> 1995 live album by Steely Dan

Alive in America is a live album by the American rock group Steely Dan, released in 1995. It is Steely Dan's first live album. The album comprises recordings from their 1993 and 1994 tours, which were the first live Steely Dan performances since 1974.

<i>The Nightfly</i> 1982 studio album by Donald Fagen

The Nightfly is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Donald Fagen. Produced by Gary Katz, it was released October 1, 1982, by Warner Bros. Records. Fagen is best known for his work in the group Steely Dan, with whom he enjoyed a successful career since the 1970s. The band separated in 1981, leading Fagen to pursue a solo career. Although The Nightfly includes a number of production staff and musicians who had played on Steely Dan records, it was Fagen's first release without longtime collaborator Walter Becker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kid Charlemagne</span> 1976 single by Steely Dan

"Kid Charlemagne" is a song by American rock band Steely Dan, released in 1976 as the opening track on their album The Royal Scam. An edited version was released as a single, reaching number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100. Larry Carlton's guitar solo on the song was ranked #80 in a 2008 list of the 100 greatest guitar solos by Rolling Stone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deacon Blues</span> 1978 single by Steely Dan

"Deacon Blues" is a song written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen in 1976 and recorded by their group Steely Dan on their 1977 album Aja. It peaked at number 19 on the Billboard charts and number 17 on the U.S. Cash Box Top 100 in June 1978. It also reached number 40 on the Easy Listening chart. In Canada, it peaked at number 14, a position it occupied for two weeks, and number 20 Adult Contemporary. In 2021, it was ranked No. 214 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reelin' In the Years</span> 1972 single by Steely Dan

"Reelin' In the Years" is a song by American rock band Steely Dan, released as the second single from their 1972 debut album, Can't Buy a Thrill. It peaked at No. 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and at No. 15 in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do It Again (Steely Dan song)</span> 1972 single by Steely Dan

"Do It Again" is a 1972 song composed and performed by American rock group Steely Dan, who released it as a single from their debut album Can't Buy a Thrill as its opening track. The single version differed from the album version, shortening the intro and outro and omitting the organ solo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pretzel Logic (song)</span> 1974 single by Steely Dan

"Pretzel Logic" is a song written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, released as a single by Steely Dan from their album Pretzel Logic, originally in 1974 by ABC Records. It reached number 57 in the Billboard charts.

"Any Major Dude Will Tell You" is a song written by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker that was first released by Steely Dan on their 1974 album Pretzel Logic. It was also released as the B-side of the first single from that album "Rikki Don't Lose That Number". It was later released on several of the band's compilation albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FM (No Static at All)</span> 1978 single by Steely Dan

"FM (No Static at All)" is a song by American jazz-rock band Steely Dan, the title theme for the 1978 film FM. It made the US Top 40 that year when released as a single, a success relative to the film. Musically, it is a complex jazz-rock composition driven by its bass, guitar and piano parts, typical of the band's sound from this period; its lyrics look askance at the album-oriented rock format of many FM radio stations at that time, in contrast to the film's celebration of that medium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josie (Steely Dan song)</span> 1978 single by Steely Dan

"Josie" is a song written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen and first released by Steely Dan on their 1977 album Aja. It was also released as the third single from the album and performed modestly well, reaching number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 44 on the Easy Listening chart that year. It has appeared on several Steely Dan live and compilation albums.

"Dirty Work" is a song written by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker of Steely Dan, which appeared on the band's 1972 debut album Can't Buy a Thrill.

References

  1. 1 2 Galen & Matthews 2007, p. 120.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Can't Buy a Thrill - Steely Dan : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation . Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  3. 1 2 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. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Steely Dan - Dallas".
  8. 1 2 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. 1 2 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". April 5, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Steely Dan Reviews on Yahoo! Music". 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. 1 2 "Steely Dan Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard . Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  19. 1 2 "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. 1 2 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. ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography. New York: Canongate. p. 1449. OL   18807297M.
  24. ↑ Graff, Gary (1999). "Steely Dan". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (Second ed.). Farmington Hills: Visibile Ink Press. p. 1084. ISBN   1578590612.
  25. ↑ Geffen, Sasha (November 20, 2019). "Steely Dan: Can't Buy a Thrill". Pitchfork . Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  26. ↑ Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: Steely Dan". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  27. ↑ Isaacs, James (November 23, 1972). "Can't Buy a Thrill". Rolling Stone . New York. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  28. ↑ "The Return of Steely Dan". Mojo Magazine . October 1995. Retrieved December 15, 2006.
  29. ↑ "Official Steely Dan FAQ". Archived from the original on December 27, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2007.
  30. ↑ Burroughs, Williams S. (1962). Naked Lunch (1991 reprint ed.). New York: Grove Press. p.  77.
  31. ↑ Christgau, Robert (April 1973). "The Christgau Consumer Guide". Creem . Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  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". Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (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. [28] [29] [30]

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.