Can't Buy a Thrill
Can't Buy a Thrill | ||||
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Village Recorder, Los Angeles, California | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 40:57 | |||
Label | ABC | |||
Producer | Gary Katz | |||
Steely Dan chronology | ||||
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Singles from Can't Buy a Thrill | ||||
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Can't Buy a Thrill is the debut studio album by American
A commercial success, in the United States Can't Buy a Thrill 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. 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
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
Release
Can't Buy a Thrill was released in the United States by
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
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
The Great Rock Discography | 8/10[citation needed] |
Music Story | [citation needed] |
MusicHound Rock | 5/5[citation needed] |
Pitchfork | 8.6/10[23] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
Tom Hull – on the Web | A[24] |
Reviewing the album in November 1972 for
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.[30] In 2003, it was ranked number 238 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time";[31] it was number 240 on the 2012 update of the list,[32] and number 168 on the 2020 version.[33] 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
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 |
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
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Charts
Album
Chart (1972–76) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[34] | 46 |
US Billboard Top LPs & Tape[18] | 17 |
Chart (2022) | Peak position |
---|---|
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[35] | 84 |
Singles
Year | Single | Peak position |
Chart |
---|---|---|---|
1973 | "Do It Again" (3:57 edit) | 6 | US Billboard Hot 100[36] |
1973 | "Reelin' In the Years" | 11 |
References
- ^ a b Galen & Matthews 2007, p. 120.
- ^ Rovi Corporation. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ^ a b c Sheffield et al. 2004, p. 778–89.
- ISBN 9780862415419.
- ^ "Can't Buy a Thrill by Steely Dan". classicrockreview.com. November 7, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ "Can't Buy A Thrill CD". Rakuten.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
- ^ "Steely Dan - Dallas".
- ^ a b Lester, Paul (February 19, 2012). "Review of Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill". BBC Music. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ^ Christgau 1981, p. 370.
- ISBN 978-1846-09881-9. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ISBN 1-56025-185-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7893-1371-3.
- ^ "Can't Buy A Thrill Album Cover | Pure Music". April 5, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ "Steely Dan Reviews on Yahoo! Music". Music.Yahoo.com. 2006-09-11. Archived from the original on 2006-09-11. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
- ^ "Steely Dan – Can't Buy A Thrill: Probe J062-94.410 (Spain, 1973)". discogs.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- ISBN 1841956155. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Steely Dan Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ Kot, Greg (August 16, 1992). "Thrills, Scams and Nightflys". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
- ^ ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 9, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ISBN 978-0857125958.
- ^ Geffen, Sasha (November 20, 2019). "Steely Dan: Can't Buy a Thrill". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
- ^ Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: Steely Dan". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ Isaacs, James (November 23, 1972). "Can't Buy a Thrill". Rolling Stone. New York. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ^ "The Return of Steely Dan". Mojo Magazine. October 1995. Retrieved December 15, 2006.
- ^ "Official Steely Dan FAQ". Archived from the original on December 27, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2007.
- ^ Burroughs, Williams S. (1962). Naked Lunch (1991 reprint ed.). New York: Grove Press. p. 77.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (April 1973). "The Christgau Consumer Guide". Creem. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
- OCLC 70672814. Archived from the originalon February 5, 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2006.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ "Steely Dan Chart History: Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
Notes
- ^ The novel is Burroughs' Naked Lunch (1959). Becker and Fagen were fans of Beat Generation literature.[26][27][28]
Bibliography
- Galen, Marjorie; Matthews, Gordon (September 1, 2007). Legends of Rock. Dalmatian Press. ISBN 978-1403737199.
- ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.