Can't Buy A Thrill (studio album)
by Steely Dan

Can't Buy A Thrill by Steely Dan
Year: 1972
Overall rank: 509th   
Average Rating: 
82/100 (from 635 votes)
     
Accolades:
Award Top 20 albums of 1972 (13th)
Award Top albums of the 1970s (114th)
Award Top 1,000 albums of all time (509th)

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Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill [New Vinyl LP] 200 Gram
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Steely Dan – Can't Buy A Thrill - LP Vinyl Record 12" - NEW Sealed
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Steely Dan - Can’t Buy a Thrill LP MCA-37040 Rainbow Label 1980 Vinyl Reissue EX
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Steely Dan bestography

Can't Buy A Thrill is ranked 2nd best out of 21 albums by Steely Dan on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Steely Dan is Aja which is ranked number 162 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 9,008.

Steely Dan album bestography « Higher ranked (162nd)
Aja
This album (509th)
Can't Buy A Thrill
Lower ranked (847th) »
Countdown To Ecstasy

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Nov
30
Tue
00:00
Steely Dan Tribute by Pretzel Logic
The Canyon -Montclair, Montclair, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Dec
28
Sun
16:00
*Venue Change — A Phish Pre-Party: Steely Dead - A Sonic Fusion of The Grateful Dead and Steely Dan
Hill Country Live, New York, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Dec
31
Wed
20:00
Pink Talking Fish ad Steely Dead (18 and Over)
Park West, Chicago, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Discover more upcoming concerts

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Can't Buy A Thrill track list

   The tracks on this album have an average rating of 83 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Average Rating: 90 (218 votes)Comments: View 4
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Average Rating: 85 (178 votes)Comments: View 1
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Average Rating: 82 (149 votes)Comments: View 1
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Average Rating: 81 (148 votes)Comments: View 0
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Average Rating: 89 (216 votes)Comments: View 2
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Average Rating: 81 (140 votes)Comments: View 0
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Average Rating: 81 (140 votes)Comments: View 0
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Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Can't Buy A Thrill rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 509th | 1970s rank: 114th | 1972 rank: 13th

Can't Buy A Thrill collection

Can't Buy A Thrill ratings

Average Rating: 
82/100 (from 635 votes)
   Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 635 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
95/100
 !
12/17/2025 14:09 AbsurdCheesecake   28288/100
 
70/100
 !
12/12/2025 00:40 Andras   22478/100
 
100/100
 !
12/09/2025 15:00 AdamRP   1475/100
 
70/100
 !
12/05/2025 23:48 Exist-en-ciel   4,24470/100
 
10/100
 !
11/23/2025 07:14 NYAndreas   1,43243/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 81.6/100, a mean average of 81.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 81.7/100. The standard deviation for this album is 12.3.

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Can't Buy A Thrill comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 45 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
75/100
From 04/05/2025 21:56 | #308346
Un premier album solide.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 07/21/2024 22:13 | #304464
The Reference Of thinking moderate in recording situation Can't really Buy A Thrill enough
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 06/06/2024 09:55 | #303882
Opening track Do it Again, the 1972 Dan song - not to be confused with the other classic song with the same title by the Beach Boys in 1968- is a Pop classic, in every sense of the word. The guitar work by Denny Dioas is exceptional. The rest of the release will not let you off the hook. An excellent work of very good Pop songs.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 11/30/2023 23:21 | #300227
The irony isn’t lost on me that a band named after a sex toy with an album cover of French Prostitutes and double entendre title is the gold standard favourite for MOR Christian fairing FM radio. Naughtiness hiding in plain sight ( I love it!!)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 02/23/2023 20:30 | #294383
In 1972 Steely Band, when their debut album "Can't Buy a Thrill" was released, the group was a real band and not just Becker / Fagan with handpicked back-up musicians.
The lead vocals are not all sung by Donald Fagen, who leaves some of them to singer David Palmer. In fact two of the very best songs, "Brooklyn" and "Dirty Work" are sung by Palmer. Other core members at this point were guitarists Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and Denny Dias with Jim Hodder on drums.

The songs are generally very cacthy and melodic, with "Do it Again" and "Reelin 'in the Years" both making it the top-twenty in the charts.

The music can, at some points be compared with country-rock bands like The Eagles or America, but with more musical refinements. Virtually all songs can be called classics, and the album definitely belongs among the group's most successful.

The rhythmic side, which has always been a very important part of the group-profile, is apparent with the infectious beats of "Do It Again", "Only a Fool" and "Brooklyn."

"Fire in the Hole" is a song pointing more towards future directions - a rather complex melody, which is really very melodic and song likely to grow on you. One song, "Midnight Cruiser" sung by drummer Jim Hodder, almost sounds like a James Taylor song.

All in all a terrific debut album, which still has appeal and charm, and with Becker and Fagens songwriting already at a very high level - more commercial, perhaps, than what would later come.

https://www.angelfire.com/nv/Badfinger/BANDsteelydan.html
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 01/21/2023 00:11 | #293108
A brilliant debut album that is full of diversity and energy making it an extremely enjoyable listen. The first track starts the record off with a phenomenal song that is so unique and perfectly prepares the listener for a special listen. The rest of the songs follow up on this with some being more effective than others but every song on here has some quality on it. The consistency of this album shocks me every time I hear it as its tough to get this level of synchronicity on a debut. Instrumentally, it is exciting and basically has a new instrument popping up on every track which gives us something to always look forward to. The performances are fantastic all across the group on this album as well. They also share the vocals out amongst the different members and I do enjoy it quite a lot as it gives it a special twist most of their other records don't have. Overall, a fun, energetic experience which has no weak moments and is so infectious to listen to that I want to replay it every time I finish it.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 11/07/2022 02:57 | #291114
Damn I missed out on this all these years... this is golden. Next up Countdown to Ecstasy.

A
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 09/06/2022 17:15 | #289392
Great record
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 02/03/2022 19:21 | #280588
Strong Steely Dan album, consistent throughout. All tracks mix well with others and overall it's just a pleasant listen. Nice blend of genres.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 01/16/2022 18:31 | #279486
Aula de um bom rock!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1972
1. The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie
2. Exile On Main St. by The Rolling Stones
3. Pink Moon by Nick Drake
4. Close To The Edge by Yes
5. Harvest by Neil Young
6. Transformer by Lou Reed
7. Machine Head by Deep Purple
8. Thick As A Brick by Jethro Tull
9. Ege Bamyası by Can
10. Foxtrot by Genesis
11. Clube Da Esquina by Milton Nascimento / Lô Borges
12. #1 Record by Big Star
13. Can't Buy A Thrill by Steely Dan
14. Super Fly by Curtis Mayfield
15. Acabou Chorare by Novos Baianos
16. Talking Book by Stevie Wonder
17. Eat A Peach by The Allman Brothers Band
18. Neu! by Neu!
19. Vol 4 by Black Sabbath
20. Argus by Wishbone Ash
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