Steely Dan Redux
Can’t Buy A Thrill 50th Anniversary Edition
The opening percussion sequence to “Do It Again”, the lead track on side one of Can’t Buy A Thrill, is unmistakeable and once heard, instantly transports the listener. It is the perfect introduction to the debut album from the band called Steely Dan.
It is a fact that Steely Dan was then a band. They even toured as such. In the following years, the membership dwindled until it was just Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. But to start, it was a group, although always firmly under the direction of Donald and Walter, its two protagonists. To these ears, the record is a textbook example of the songwriting craft and pop sensibilities they both had, (and were to continue to display so prominently) over the years. The acerbic yet slightly opaque lyrics, usually telling us the story from the point of view of the cynical also-ran. But there were some things that set this album apart from the ones that were to follow. This was the only Steely Dan to feature a lead singer other than Donald Fagen. David Palmer would sing lead on “Dirty Work” and “Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me)”, and sang with Donald on a couple of others. Additionally, drummer Jim Hodder took on lead vocal duties for “Midnite Cruiser”. The songs on “Can’t Buy A Thrill” seem a little more concise, and perhaps a bit less esoteric than later offerings. Steely Dan records such as “The Royal Scam” and “Aja” could be seen as a palette on which Donald and Walter would bring in various musicians (session and otherwise) to add that player’s particular talents and sound to a song. This recording was primarily (but not exclusively) a product of the musicians who at that time were part of Steely Dan.
The 50th Anniversary edition was remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tapes. The album is 180 gram vinyl and is being released on the Geffen label. I bought the record a couple of days ago, and have played it a bunch, and yeah, it sounds great. I can definitely hear Walter’s bass playing more clearly (always a plus), and everything just seems in better balance, with more clarity and definition. Elliot Randall’s solo on “Reelin’ In The Years” was probably my favourite part of the album when I first heard it, and the it sounds even better on the re-issue. As I am wont to say, highly recommended.
