Can’t Buy A Thrill—Steely Dan/Analogue Productions UHQR 45 RPM vinyl reissue
This is my second UHQR (Ultra High-Quality Record) Analogue Productions 45 RPM release, boxed beautifully and pressed at their Quality Record Pressings using 200-gram Clarity Vinyl. This pressing, like my first, Kind of Blue, features silent vinyl and was remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analogue master tapes.
With records becoming more expensive by the day, (these UHQR 45s are $150 a pop), and after the MoFi debacle, I’m checking a recording’s analogue provenance of every purchase very carefully. Too much fibbing and riding a fine line where “remastered from the ORIGINAL ANALOGUE TAPES” is emblazoned all over the record cover and/or hype sticker. I’ve had great luck with the quality and honesty behind Analogue Productions’ LPs. They simply never produce duds.
This release is limited to 20,000 numbered copies. This is the 45 RPM release.
The packaging is stunning; I love the big, beefy box. Others don’t.
Inside the box is a Tip-on gatefold double pocket jacket with film lamination by Stoughton Printing. It’s pretty glorious.
The records have a flat surface profile compared to the slight rise on standard records.
The remastering, the high pressing/plating standards, and the quality control at every step have produced a magnificent vinyl release. Unlike the Kind of Blue, where the 45 had some advantages over the 33 (video linked above), I did not hear the 33 RPM of this record, only the 45 RPM.
In addition to the Clarity vinyl and sundry Analogue Productions promotional material, there is a nice booklet with a note from Donald Fagan and a detailed tech sheet. All this, let alone the fabulous sound, creates real pride of ownership. As such, for Steely Dan fans, the $150 price may be a little easier to swallow.
What an incredible debut album Can’t Buy A Thrill is (1972). A little like Led Zeppelin 1 in its confidently assured debut quality with a specific band sound already established. Remarkable.
And from the opening bars of “Do It Again”, the signature of Bernie Grundman remaster is all over it. The vocals are smooth but Fagen’s “whine” and the myriad of solos emanate from a real space—no studio mix quality even though these guys became the epitome of a “studio band”.
The band in the beginning had six members, gradually ending up with the two stars accompanied by the greatest studio musicians in NYC and LA. The musicians on Can’t Buy A Thrill are:
Jeff "Skunk" Baxter – guitar, pedal steel guitar.
Walter Becker – electric bass guitar, co-lead vocals, backing vocals.
Denny Dias – guitar, electric sitar.
Donald Fagen – piano, electric piano, plastic organ, lead vocals, backing vocals.
Jim Hodder – drums, percussion, lead vocals,, backing vocals.
David Palmer – lead vocals, co-lead vocals, backing vocals.
Steely Dan in 1971.
Listen to the opening of “Do It Again”, with crystal clear percussion followed by bass and piano in perfect timbral collaboration; it all sounds so vibrant, so beautiful, perfectly mixed. With none of the murk that sometimes happens on Steely Dan records on indifferent pressings.
And no matter the inflection on any solo or lyric, Grundman ensures you hear it. Many of you know every word, every melody and every harmonic progression of Steely Dan albums. You’ll hear some songs anew.
You’ll hear all the very complex layering typical of Donald Fagan and Walter Becker’s arrangements. Listen to the saxes and trumpets accompanying “slides” on “Dirty Work”. The remastering brings into focus many subtleties I had not noticed before.
The Clarity Vinyl is both silent and flat.
I loved the rhythmic energy and clarity of Victor Feldman’s percussion in “Dirty Work”. And Fagen’s voice is so open-throated and supported. It’s positively operatic.
This was the last Steely Dan album for me to pick up on vinyl. My others are a mix of originals and Japanese pressings. They are very good to superb in their own right, but pale compared to this 45 RPM.
Of course, Elliot Randall’s brilliant guitar riff at the start of “Reelin’ In The Years” brought a smile to my face that would last the whole song. I remember hearing this fabulous song on my AM radio in middle school. I was floored and could not get enough of it as soon as I figured out who the hell Steely Dan was.
Much later, as I began my studies in music very seriously, I kind of forgot about them. Then several years later, a fellow flute player came into the students’ common room at my music college and asked me to listen to a song on his headphones. “Hey Nineteen” from Gaucho. And loud. I was floored again. We rekindled immediately and I rarely go a day since without my Dan fix.
An album this fully formed at first go deserved the royal treatment. Yes, it’s better than the original, which, on really good equipment, is no slouch. I’ve not heard the Speakers Corner remaster. But this Bernie Grundman is very special. If you have a clean original or are happy with the Speakers Corner pressing, you could probably spend your $150 elsewhere. But if you do invest, you won’t be sorry. Whether the 33 would be good for you is a personal choice, but I love the sound of this 45. Very highly recommended.
