Can't Buy A Thrill (studio album) by Steely Dan
Condition: Used
Condition: Used
Condition: Used
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 170 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 9,609.
Upcoming concerts






Listen to Can't Buy A Thrill on YouTube
Can't Buy A Thrill track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 84 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.
Can't Buy A Thrill rankings
Latest 20 charts that this album appears in:
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!
Can't Buy A Thrill collection
Showing latest 20 members who have this album in their collection | Show all 315 members
Can't Buy A Thrill ratings

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 583 ratings for this album.
Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
---|---|---|---|---|
80/100 ![]() | 09/09/2023 11:27 | Siromynian | ![]() | 77/100 |
80/100 ![]() | 09/05/2023 18:58 | ![]() | ![]() | 77/100 |
95/100 ![]() | 08/13/2023 03:27 | ![]() | ![]() | 88/100 |
75/100 ![]() | 07/31/2023 13:13 | Hyggevinyl | ![]() | 73/100 |
70/100 ![]() | 07/26/2023 15:48 | willtoshower | ![]() | 73/100 |
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 81.7/100, a mean average of 81.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 81.8/100. The standard deviation for this album is 11.9.
Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating
Can't Buy A Thrill favourites
Showing latest 20 members who have added this album as a favourite | Show all 111 members
Can't Buy A Thrill comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 41 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
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
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.

Damn I missed out on this all these years... this is golden. Next up Countdown to Ecstasy.
A
Great record
Strong Steely Dan album, consistent throughout. All tracks mix well with others and overall it's just a pleasant listen. Nice blend of genres.

Aula de um bom rock!

When released this must have been a unique album, just because it sounded so different.
It mixes so well country, jazz, rock, blues and southern Dr John sounds.
This album is one of the greats, with perfect production values, musicians, and songs.
Cannot recommend this album enough!
Can't Buy a Thrill is a really well-crafted debut by Steely Dan. It's reminiscent of that era of rock, with a sound that takes a lot of influences from classic R&B. They would make leaps and bounds on their next record, "Countdown to Ecstasy."
Track Pick: Do It Again
Gem: Reeling in the Years
a personal favorite since 1972

great album, reeling in the years is a wonderful track.
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment
Your feedback for Can't Buy A Thrill

A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.