Steely Dan’s debut,
the Can’t Buy a Thrill album was as musically accessible as it was thematically elusive. Songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen open it up with “Do It Again,” a song about a series of harrowing catastrophes that was far removed from the recycled love tunes of the day. “
Fire In The Hole" and "
Kings" are equally enigmatic and supremely cool, while the still thrilling guitar solos spiking "Reeling In The Years" satisfied any cravings for loudness that you might have. Still, at whatever volume it was played at, "Can't Buy A Thrill" held a mysterious appeal that few other bands could match. All in all, it’s one of the most original albums of its day.
