STEELY DAN - Can't Buy a Thrill (1972-1985) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

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. Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracklist :

1 Do It Again 5:56

2 Dirty Work 3:08

3 Kings 3:45

Backing Vocals – Clydie King, Shirley Mathews, Venetta Fields

4 Midnite Cruiser 4:09

5 Only A Fool Would Say That 2:54

6 Reelin' In The Years 4:35

7 Fire In The Hole 3:26

8 Brooklyn 4:20

Backing Vocals – Clydie King, Shirley Mathews, Venetta Fields

9 Change Of The Guard 3:28

10 Turn That Heartbeat Over Again 4:58

Credits:

Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Jim Hodder

Electric Bass, Vocals – Walter Becker

Flugelhorn – Snooky Young

Guitar – Elliot Randall

Guitar, Pedal Steel Guitar, Classical Guitar [Spanish] – Jeff "Skunk" Baxter

Guitar, Sitar [Electric Sitar] – Denny Dias

Percussion – Victor Feldman

Piano, Electric Piano, Organ [Plastic Organ], Vocals – Donald Fagen

Tenor Saxophone – Jerome Richardson

Vocals – David Palmer 

Written-By – Donald Fagen, Walter Becker