Steely Dan Can’t Buy A Thrill GEFFEN/UME

Yes you can.

Which of 1972 or ’73 was the best ever year for rock releases is endlessly arguable. Far less so that it was one of those two fabulously rock-rich years, with Exile On Main St, Ziggy Stardust, The Dark Side Of The Moon, Tubular Bells, Quadrophenia and so many more truly great albums coming off a freakish non-stop conveyor-belt delivery of shit-hot vinyl.

Slap-bang in the middle of that golden period, in January ’73 (two months earlier in the US), Steely Dan’s debut Can’t Buy A Thrill arrived, with its stylishly and thoughtfully crafted pop-rock mix splashed with country and jazz flavours, its knowing artistry, all wrapped up in a seductive aura of musical and lyrical sophistication.

Right from the off, with the summer-zephyr feel of Do It Again with its subtly tricksy guitar and keyboard solos, Dirty Work, and the jazz-licked Only A Fool Would Say That, it was clear that this was not an album of three-chord-trick songs about cars and girls. For many its big sell is the bouncy Reelin’ In The Years, with it’s celebrated twinguitar solo (often cited as a favourite of Jimmy Page), while Midnight Cruiser and the lovely, country-tinged Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me), the former with yet another hot, gritty guitar solo, are mature rock-pop songs that grow in stature with repeated listenings.

Can’t Buy A Thrill didn’t just become a period classic, it also helped usher in a new type of album that was bought not only by rock-pop fans but also the hip-cool sophisticates.

This 50th-anniversary remaster reissue (no extras) comes on SACD and audiophile vinyl pressings, but even on a battered and scarred original the music is superb.