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Can't Buy a Thrill by ReleasedNovember 1972Studio, Los Angeles, , , Length40:39 chronologyCan't Buy a Thrill
(1972)
(1973) from Can't Buy a Thrill ""
Released: November 1972 ""
Released: March 1973

Can't Buy a Thrill is the debut  by the American  band , released in November 1972 by . It was produced by  and written by band members  and . The album was recorded at  in .

Background

The album was originally released in two-channel  and also in a special four-channel  mix. There are some significant musical differences between the two mixes, such as extra lead guitar fills in the quad mix of "".

Two songs recorded during the Can't Buy a Thrill sessions were left off the album and released as a single ("" and "Sail the Waterway"). This is the only Steely Dan album to include  as a lead vocalist, having been recruited after  expressed concerns over singing live. Drummer  also chips in lead vocals on one song, as well as singing the "" single. By the time recording of the next album began, the band and producer  had convinced Fagen to assume the full lead vocalist role.

Music and lyrics

According to writers Marjorie Galen and Gordon Matthews, Can't Buy a Thrill features an upbeat  style. Music journalist  said that it incorporates , , , and  elements. Music critic  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, "," incorporates a tight  beat, while the second single, "," features jazzy guitar solos and harmonies.  described the former song as a toned-down mambo song with "tragic" lyrics about a "compulsive" loser.

"Fire in the Hole", which features strident piano by Fagen, takes its title from  used by American soldiers in , and alludes to how so many students evaded the  in the late 1960s and early 70s (Becker and Fagen included).

Cover art

The album cover features a  by Robert Lockart. It includes an image of a line of , standing in a  waiting for clients, chosen because of its relevance to the album title. The title of the album is taken in reference to the opening line of the Bob Dylan song "".  and  themselves commented on the album art in their liner notes to the reissued , saying that the album possessed "the most hideous album cover of the seventies, bar none (excepting perhaps Can't Buy a Thrill)." The cover was banned in 's Spain and was replaced with a photograph of the band playing in concert.

Release and reception Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAB+8/105/5

Can't Buy a Thrill was released in the United States by  in November 1972 and in the United Kingdom by  in January 1973. The album peaked at number 17 on the  , and was  on August 22, 1973, by . On May 31, 1973, it was certified  by the  (RIAA), for shipments of 500,000 copies in the US, then certified  by RIAA on September 7, 1993, for shipments of 1,000,000 copies in the US. In a contemporary review for , 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". Christgau deemed it "a good album attached" to a hit single in his review for ; he found the lyrics "oblique, even philosophical ... as befit a band named after a dildo in a William Burroughs novel."

Christgau later wrote of the record, "Think of the Dan as the first post- band: the beat swings more than it blasts or blisters, the  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." In a retrospective review for , Erlewine said the songs "subvert traditional conventions" and are "tightly constructed, with interlocking chords and gracefully interwoven melodies, buoyed by clever, cryptic lyrics." However, he critiqued that vocalist David Palmer "oversings the handful of tracks where he takes the lead", which caused Walter Becker and Donald Fagen to temper "their wildest impulses with mainstream pop techniques." Writing for , Lester said the album was so "fully-formed ... that you would scarcely believe that it's their debut", and observed "tightly constructed songs with dazzling hooks, clever, cryptic lyrics, and vocals that offer teasing critiques for those that want them." In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked Can't Buy a Thrill number 238 on their list of .  was less impressed in  (2004), regarding the record as "mellow " that was "softened" by Palmer, who "sounds like he's nervous about where his wallet is".

Track listing

All songs written by  and .

Side one "" – 5:56  solo by Denny Dias  solo and vocals by Donald Fagen "Dirty Work" – 3:08 Saxophone solo by Jerome Richardson Vocal by David Palmer "Kings" – 3:45 Guitar solo by Elliot Randall Vocal by Donald Fagen "Midnite Cruiser" – 4:07 Guitar solo by Jeff Baxter Vocal by Jim Hodder "Only a Fool Would Say That" – 2:57 Guitar solo by Jeff Baxter Vocals by Donald Fagen and David Palmer Side two "" – 4:37 Guitar solos by  Vocal by Donald Fagen "Fire in the Hole" – 3:28 Piano solo and vocal by Donald Fagen  solo by Jeff Baxter "Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)" – 4:21 Steel guitar solo by Jeff Baxter Vocal by David Palmer "Change of the Guard" – 3:39 Guitar solo by Jeff Baxter Vocals by Donald Fagen and David Palmer "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" – 4:58 Vocals by Donald Fagen, Walter Becker and David Palmer