Can't Buy A Thrill

Steely Dan are annoyingly good.

#301/1001 🇺🇸 My first 2 Steely Dan albums on here were not a a good experience, being delivered on consecutive days. Happy to report that this album is much better. I think that its the kitchen sink production of Aja that just annoyed me. This benefits from being their debut record, uncluttered by designs to throw everything into the pan - i generally do enjoy debut records as you hear bands in their purest form. It starts off well with Do It Again and Dirty Work and Reelin' in the Years is probaly the song i most recognise as their work. Midnight Cruiser was enjoyable too. Best Tracks: Reelin' in the Years, Do It Again, Midnight Cruiser.

There isn't much bad to say about this album. It speaks for my culture of slightly overweight, straight, white dads looking to bust a groove while tending the grill. And who's to say we can't get a lil motion?

Absolutely zero substance but fine

Steely Dan pushes the boundaries by sculpting a new genre of music, blending rock, jazz, and progressive elements to craft this perfect masterpiece. Every note, rhythm, and beat are played to perfection and mixed to the highest studio quality. The lyrical themes are relatable and sarcastic, creating a lighthearted and enjoyable album.

Just class in every way. Great production, 1972 is hard to believe

It scares me how much I fuck with this album

Wholesome gleaming 1970's pop. Good songwriters and all but it's just so far away from my normal listening. 'Dirty work' would make a playlist.

Not really my thing, but a good album.

Excellent dad/yacht rock

Gains a star from "Dirty Work" and its absolutely beautiful deployment in "One Battle After Another." I also have never hated "Do It Again" or "Reelin' in the Years." Never knew either was by Steely Dan, but probably could've guessed it. Regardless, on the merits, this got tedious at points, but did not suck, which is a big win for these guys.

Probably a 7/10 if i'm being honest. First half was glorious but dipped a bit by the end. The two famous songs - Reelin in the years and do it again..are marvellous. However, an extra shout for both Kings and Dirty Work, which i had never heard before. Kings, especially, was captivating. U I might give it another listen and see if u can find a 4th star!

i respect the dan more than i like them i guess. another great singles band for me.

Can’t Buy a Thrill = ultimate slickness! The egocentric and eccentric times Steely Dan evokes are long gone, but the music remains a testament to the near-pathological studio-production bourgeoisie of the mid-to-late ’70s, paired with an almost ridiculous abundance of thoughtful, instantly memorable songwriting. No one cared about money or time; all that mattered was the perfect sound of the snare. And lo and behold, out came an instant classic.

Sorry, I am a fan. This is an awesome debut. 5 Boolean: True

Not quite 5 stars for me as it was mildly repetitive but otherwise a fantastic album

Good listen but not really my cup of tea

Shidout o hello

Some perfect stuff on here, and the ok stuff is still really interesting. ‘Do It Again’ wow!

Dirty work was great but had already heard it before. The rest of the album wasn’t bad but don’t think I’d listen to it again.

Probably my favorite Steely Dan

Better

This is was steely okay. Don't love or hate. An alright burger with no pickles or special sauce.

I saved a few

Early but great.

it was nice. some really good songs

Really didn't like the excessive polish of Aja so I didn't have high hopes for this, but it's great. Very of its time, but the songwriting is strong. Good listen

This was a chill album didn’t realize they had so many hits. I enjoyed it.

I wonder how much familiarity plays in my enjoyment of these albums. Would I like this album as much as Aja, which lacks the one-two opener this one has, which is missing the hook from "Reeling in the Years" (without which this album is just so much lounge music at a bar at a beach resort I've never been to

I already knew this was an incredible album, but it was nice to listen to it in its entirety again and bask in that knowledge. Every song on this album rocks in my book, but some of my favs are Midnite Cruiser and Only a Fool Would Say That. Can I also review album covers here? Because this one is incredibly sick. I don’t think I’ve paid it the proper attention before and I’m sorry. This is awesome.

A great album, there isn't a single track that I dislike. Some really different styles going on in some of the songs.

Very good yacht rock, as expected!

I’m a simple man. I see Steely Dan, I rate a 5. Loads of great catchy tunes, fantastic production.

Man, I have heard of Steely Dan before, but this is the first album of theirs that I have listened to. The only song I recognize is the first one, and that is only from random occurrences on the radio. Overall, I loved this album. Lots of very quality songs on here.

I like the vibe, but not really the songs.

Oh hwfg. So so good. Top bops: Do it again Dirty work Reelin in the years Fire in the hole

Gillar "Only a fool would say that" sedan innan och albumet i sin helhet bjöd verkligen på en härlig variation. Skön lyssning!

Reelin in the Years is my favorite Steely Dan song!

Fave

Nice

I was surprised by how many songs I already knew, but ultimately didn’t fall in love with the overall sound.

Please do with the Steely Dan! It's so over-produced and self-important. I was going to just give it one start without listening, but I decided to have integrity and at least try listening. But, no, I do not like this Steely Dan. I do not like them, Sam I Am.

I'm so sick of Steely Dan on this list, I'm doing the thing I swore I'd never do and just handing it one star and not bothering to listen to it.

uma vibe rockzinho de pai solteiro com trilha sonora de algum filme de animação dos anos 90. legal, mas esquecivel ☆☆☆

3.5 stars

it’s really more of a 4.5 that leans 5 stars but damn is this album smooth and packed with hits. these dudes know how to make a song

Didn't know what to expect, but had high expectations since I know there's a few Steely Dan albums. But it met those expectations exactly. Dirty Work and Reelin' in the Years are bangers

Not a perfect album, but a very good one.

Solo con las dos primeras ya da para nota: Do it again y Dirty work, pero es que también está Reelin' in the years. Así que un discazo que nunca supe apreciar en mi juevntud.

I enjoyed this album...with the exception of the last song...it felts very religious for some reason?

So Steely Dan was one of those artists that I was like "I don't know her", but apparently I do! I RECOGNIZED some of these songs, just never knew they were Steely Dan! And well, I like it. It's very goooood. I really dig this cover art. Love the rainbow-testicle-gummy-worm-looking thing.

lucky lucky me steely dan weekend AND there's a song about how much John Lennon is a fool? you're fucking joking Its steely dans first, most popular, and most conventional album, the whole sound they have on this album is so warm and so comforting to me. Fantastic instrumental layering with iconic riffs, great percussion section, and their wack ass lyrics, they've always been that bitch and they only got more esoteric from here. A part of me wants to give this a four because its not my favorite steely dan album but its just so good it has to be a five for me Likelihood that the members of this band lezzed out IMO: Nuanced take alert.. I gave countdown to ecstasy a 2 but I'm giving them a 4 for their can't buy a thrill era with the larger band. I still don't think Becker and Fagen have sexual chemistry but I think that when they were performing with a larger set band I could absolutely see something going down. maybe this is why their tour went bad during this time and they never toured again and just turned into the two of them. I think there's something there. this is also one of their steamiest albums to me, there's a reason for that

"white people have no culture" ok explain this then kind of insane how many hits are on this considering it's their first album, definitely not my favorite steely dan but it's really so very good.. poppier and more commercial than any of their other records and i think that's why i like it less, the jazz is there for sure but not in its full capacity the way it is on aja. but god damn all these songs are so catchy

A good album!!

A fine record. 4/5.

Blues/rock des années 70 assez calme parfois mais cet capable de Groove aussi

Steely Dan begins the best streak of his career with a set of polished, laidback yacht-rock jams. The songs are immaculately assembled and feature strong grooves. However, on the songwriting side, some songs are a little more patchy. A very solid album that ultimately falls just short.

One of my favourite albums love this

I *love* this. I’d heard of this band, of course, but never bothered to check them out. I’m so glad this one came up! I was a little scared because the cover art is kind of ugly. Never judge a book by its cover, I suppose. Fav song: Turn That Heartbeat Over Again

it was good!

Cool

3.5 of an album if that was an option. Definitely some hits on this record, and overall very good, but also a bit dated and monotonous at times.

Great album. Stellar writing and musicianship. A breath of fresh air in the midst of a lot of second rate rock coming out at the time.

To be honest, I don't really listen to this genre. I don't generally enjoy "positive" energy in music. I go to music for more complexity, more lyrical depth and I usually enjoy experimental music. For it's time, I think it was experimental. I enjoy some electric guitar hooks on what is otherwise a more groovy, jazzy sound. Just not something that I find intellectually curious.

3.5* Dig this! V v stoked to check out Aja to see how much this differs.

What! What a gem. Next!

Was expecting to have another moan about being given more 70s rock music, but was quite pleased to hear the folky undertones and a bit of the holdover psychedelia of the 60s in this sound.. wasn’t by any means world changing for me, but was a nice easy listen and one that I wouldn’t object to listening again

Great album. Dirty Work sneaking up to top of my Steely Dan list.

Doesn't do enough for me to rate it higher. Clearly some great songs in here, including dirty work, but Steely Dan's vibe is middle of the road for me. Side note, Reeling in the Years is the theme song for an Irish television show started the early 2000s about revisiting different years and their events, so super nostalgic for Irish people hahaha

Couldn't believe the amount of classics on this album. Do it again straight away and then straight into dirty work. It was really fun listening for a fair Monday evening

rock solid. dunno why the word "honest" comes to mind

Always thought I hated Steely Dan because of Aja but this is more my vibe. Album starts really strong but tails off toward the end.

❤️steely dan

Wikipedia told us about this album "encompassing the sounds of soft rock, pop rock and jazz rock". This equals easy listening and very minimal amount of memory traces.

#509 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ (some of it I had) Revisit? ❌ Steely Dan has always been a bit hit 'n miss for me, I appreciate the craftmanship of the musicians and engineers involved, but the music feels a bit calculated and too "on-the-nose", so to speak. After haveíng a proper listen I'm still a bit on the fence, it's like they took their favourite bit and the bits they thought most people would like and made do with what that cocktail was able to produce. Or it's jsut not my type of music 🤷‍♂️ This is a luke warm 3/5 for me.

Outstanding work. It was the beginning of a string of excellent albums that showed that you didn’t have to follow the trends and be a clone of everyone else. Innovative. Progressive. Sound recording was exceptional for the time.

Boooooo

Bennet should really shut up Sometimes.

Funky tunes. Like a lot of the songs but definitely not all.

eh… i found this boring in my opinion

Muy intrincado

Definitely recommend. Fun chill jams.

Sorry, I can't join the rest of the internet in their rabid Steely Dan fandom. As soft rock goes, I suppose this isn't risible, but I'm still pretty bored. Reelin' In The Years is a great song though.

Steely Dan, you can certainly buy a thrill.

Smooth grooving, classic jazzy hits, and hidden gems, this album is an album is an absolute groove. This is Steely Dan at their best!

Quite nice, but nothing special.

The musicianship is excellent. Interesting melodies. Vocal harmonies all over the place. This should be my shit. It is definitely not my shit. Who knows why?

Why don't we talk about Steely Dan more? Genuinely, a band whose "Best Of" albums will be loaded with hits drawn from a strong discography, with technically gifted musicians and superb lyrics blending styles and tones across an album, they would not be out of place in conversations alongside acts like Queen or Bowie. But I never seem to hear much about them. Certainly in a long conversation about great acts and artists they will come up, but they rarely get the spotlight themselves, rather just being tacked on as part of a bigger talk on the field of music, at least in my (somewhat limited) experience. This album shows that to be an injustice. There isn't a bad song on this album, and it has a fair few of Steely Dan's biggest hits. Everything here feels like it is used perfectly, from run-time to instruments to Fagen's slightly abnormal singing style. Jazz and rock are two genres not put together enough, and every song on this album shows what that pairing can achieve. As is, Steely Dan deserve a higher seat at the table, because this album deserves a spot in the conversation so much more than what it gets. Exceptional album that remains ice-cold throughout, with a sound more should have tried to replicate since.

loved! some new gems added to my library besides dirty work

Not my favourite by the Dan

Quite good

a super one dimensional album, but with very nice grooves and soundscapes. My bro said this was yacht rock, and i could totally see why. I think that the opening song (and it's main hit) is super iconic, and it sets a good tone for the rest of the 30 something minutes. Chill bass grooves with mellow drum patterns, some soft electric guitar tones, ez going lyrics and vocals, all layered under some piano and organ grooves. I think that I can't go wrong with this being a 4/5, somewhere around an 8.2-8.6/10, but it does feel like a quintessential 70s "chill" album. Good shit. I think they lyrics are also more standout than usual, upon closer inspection. And I honestly would've missed it if i hadn't looked into it. It worthy of that 5/5 score, even if it's really hovering around a 8.9ish...I'm not sure how many stars I'll give it but I'm torn.

I like this. But it doesnt stand out for me in any way. Sometimes I like the oiano and I don't hate vocals. It's still good but nothing groundbreaking. I think I heard this thing like ten times since I started listening to these albums.

Oh how I am slowly turning into my grandfather. Seriously though it was an enjoyable album I can’t really fault it, but I would say that whilst I definitely prefer Aja this is still a good album and I would listen again. Absolutely loved the songs “Do it again” and “Dirty work”. This could definitely be a 4.5/5 stars but I am going to put it as a 4 star album.

Love

8 / 10

What a great three track run to open up the album. Reelin’ In The Years is a classic rock track. Production on this album is fantastic.

Dad rock albuminized Banger after banger thoo

Dig it. Have heard a lot of songs on this album individually. Never listened to the whole thing, but I get why it's a classic.

anotha one ive listened to