LogFAQs > #960422637

Can't Buy a Thrill track ranking

10. Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me) (Track #8)
Score: 27 (Average Rank: 8.3/10)
Biggest Fan(s): SpikeSetsFire (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seginustemple, BlueCrystalTear, MetalmindStats (#10)

Seginustemple: It's a dip in energy late in the record, one of the two tracks sung by David Palmer and I think it shows why his more sensitive voice was ultimately not the right fit for this band, even if he turns in a capable performance. Jeff Baxter's lap steel solo is probably the sleepiest on the record, though he adds a lot of nice touches in the verses. There's still a solid core of a tune here but it's played so straight it doesn't stand out much on an album this good.

BlueCrystalTear: This feels like an old school country ballad. It doesn't really gel with the rest of the album, and that's why it's down here.

9. Turn the Heartbeat Over Again (Track #10)
Score: 39 (Average Rank: 7.1/10)
Biggest Fan(s): TheArkOfTurus, Seginustemple, rwlh, MetalmindStats (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos (#10)

Seginustemple: Perhaps the strangest song of the bunch, there's a lot of silence as punctuation between sections so the mood feels very flexible. I really enjoy the way the vocals shift between speaker channels as the music shifts gears into the chorus. The 'solo' is almost played for comedy, as the tune suddenly gives way to a slowed down jugband section before switching back to a proggy interlude. The minor key twist at the very end is a nice touch to close on. "oh Michael, oh Jesus..."

8. Fire in the Hole (Track #7)
Score: 42 (Average Rank: 7.2/10)
Biggest Fan(s): TheArkOfTurus (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): rwlh, SpikeSetsFire (#10)

Seginustemple: The Vietnam protest song, or at least a song about draft-dodging. Fagen takes a rare piano solo with some angsty flare to prove he has some chops. But there's only a sketch of drum, bass, and lap steel guitar outside of that so the rest of the instrumental feels a little thin to me.

7. Midnite Cruiser (Track #4)
Score: 46 (Average Rank: 6.5/10)
Biggest Fan(s): BlueCrystalTear (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#10)

Seginustemple: The only Steely Dan album track sung by *checks notes...* drummer Jim Hodder. He actually works on this one, his voice isn't too dissimilar from Fagen's and they all jump in on the chorus anyway. It's another nostalgic dive bar anthem, but far from the best one here.

BlueCrystalTear: "Gentleman Loser" is a great rhyme, and that guitar is awesome as heck. (I had thought this was Fagen too, but apparently not >_>)

6. Change of the Guard (Track #9)
Score: 50 (Average Rank: 6/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Seginustemple, HBJDubs, SpikeSetsFire, Seanchan (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#10)

Seginustemple: Perfect simplicity right here, never stops rocking. Has my favorite 'na na na' section this side of a hey hey goodbye and the bluesy guitar solo is a whole jam unto itself. That's Jeff "Skunk" Baxter ripping it up, now he's a respected missile defense advisor to the Pentagon. How's that for a change of the guard!

5. Kings (Track #3)
Score: 51 (Average Rank: 6.1/10)
Biggest Fan(s): rwlh, HBJDubs (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): TheArkOfTurus, BlueCrystalTear (#9)

Seginustemple: This one is catchy as heck. The crunchy guitar and stack of hype background singers give it a lot of energy, and the subtle addition of congas in the chorus keeps it moving (even if you don't think you notice, you notice). The liner notes cheekily include a 'no political significance' disclaimer under this track, which almost certainly means they were alluding to Nixon.

BlueCrystalTear: I forgot about anything other than the chorus - featuring the actual "good King Richard" and the inactual "good King John" (must be sarcasm since the Royal Family disowned him) - by the end of "Midnite Cruiser." Shows you how unmemorable the verses are... possibly in relation to the other songs, too.

4. Dirty Work (Track #2)
Score: 55 (Average Rank: 5.9/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): TheArkOfTurus (#10)

Seginustemple: I'm just not into Palmer's soft vocals in the verses. But I dig the instrumental - that intro with the rhodes/guitar arpeggios and organ lead into the horn line is butter. And I'd be a fool to deny that the chorus is a groove. The random break for the sax solo is totally unnecessary though.

BlueCrystalTear: A little redundant for a song that's just over 3 minutes long, but has a catchy beat. The vocal is sleepier than I'd like but it's still a good song.

3. Only a Fool Would Say That (Track #5)
Score: 69 (Average Rank: 4.5/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Seginustemple (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#10)

Seginustemple: Plays as a cynical response to "Imagine", which was released a year earlier. It's never totally clear when Steely Dan is being sarcastic but I tend to read this one at face value. How smooth is that instrumental though? It's tightly written and the jazzy latin style is rendered so convincingly, it never sounds like a costume the band is putting on. Bonus points for ending the song neatly instead of fading out.

BlueCrystalTear: Once I read that this song was indirectly calling Lennon a communist, it shot up my ranking. Like many of the other songs, it's catchy.

2. Reelin' in the Years (Track #6)
Score: 112 (Average Rank: 2/10)
Biggest Fan(s): BlueCrystalTear, MetalmindStats (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seginustemple, Raetsel_Lapin (#3)

Seginustemple: One of those songs that's built to get more nostalgic every time you hear it. The vocal harmonies make this one shine, and that becomes a Dan trademark as Donald Fagen assumes lead vocal duties despite his lack of range. I'll always remember that Joe Satriani admitted he ripped off this song on his solo for "If I Could Fly" in a 2006 issue of Guitar Player magazine, and then later he successfully sued Coldplay for ripping off that same song. Sneaky bastard!

BlueCrystalTear: In my mind, this is THE Steely Dan song. It's catchy in every single way. The musicianship is incredible and speaks to their talents.

1. Do It Again (Track #1)
Score: 129 (Average Rank: 1.4/10)
Biggest Fan(s): Seginustemple, CasanovaZelos, rwlh, HBJDubs, Raetsel_Lapin, SpikeSetsFire, Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): TheArkOfTurus (#3)

Seginustemple: "In the morning you go gunnin' for the man who stole your water" Steely Dan has so many songs involving gunplay and gambling it becomes a whole mythology, the theme of cyclical mistakes and indulgence is like their lyrical north star. The tune is full of flavor, congas/guiro set a mellow salsa mood and electric sitar/plastic organ solos send it to vibespace. An excellent song to drive to, it's too cool for its own good.

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My top 100 games (with write-ups): https://foolfantastic.com/top-100-video-games-project/
Top 250 songs: https://foolfantastic.com/3290-2/