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

Can't Buy A Thrill by Steely Dan
Year: 1972
Overall rank: 490th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
82/100 (from 625 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 20 albums of 1972 (13th)
Award Top albums of the 1970s (112th)
Award Top 500 albums of all time (490th)
Product Details
Availability

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Steely Dan “Can’t Buy a Thrill” Vinyl LP 1980 US Press VG+/VG
Condition: Used


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Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill [New Vinyl LP] 180 Gram
Condition: New


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STEELY DAN Can't Buy a Thrill Japan for US MCA Cd MCAD-37040 DIDX-369
Condition: Like New


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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 160 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 9,279.

Steely Dan album bestography « Higher ranked (160th) This album (490th) Lower ranked (821st) »
AjaCan't Buy A ThrillCountdown To Ecstasy

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
 
Sep
14
Sun
18:00
Musicians of STEELY DAN
Fred Kavli Theatre- B of A Performi, Thousand Oaks, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Sep
20
Sat
19:00
Good Stuff: The Steely Dan Show
The Vogel at Count Basie Center for, Red Bank, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Discover more upcoming concerts

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Can't Buy A Thrill track list

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

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Can't Buy A Thrill rankings

Can't Buy A Thrill collection

Can't Buy A Thrill ratings

Average Rating: 
82/100 (from 625 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 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 625 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
70/100
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13 hours ago ajdesechlastat  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 10571/100
 
95/100
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08/22/2025 23:59 Skerns  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 4,91980/100
 
90/100
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07/27/2025 02:25 bcole19  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 56589/100
 
80/100
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07/06/2025 23:33 traistboar  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,29080/100
 
70/100
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06/18/2025 19:10 idiotican  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2,80374/100

Rating metrics: 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 81.8/100. The standard deviation for this album is 12.0.

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Can't Buy A Thrill favourites

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Can't Buy A Thrill comments

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Rating:  
75/100
From 04/05/2025 21:56
Un premier album solide.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 07/21/2024 22:13
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
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
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
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
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
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
Great record
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 02/03/2022 19:21
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
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. Vol 4 by Black Sabbath
19. Neu! by Neu!
20. Argus by Wishbone Ash
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