Can’t Buy a Thrill (Steely Dan)

Can’t Buy a Thrill
Steely Dan (1972)

Top Tracks: “Reelin’ In the Years”, “Do It Again”, “Dirty Work”

Personal note: when I was three or four years old and “Reelin’ In the Years” would come on, I’d go completely psycho. Something about that speedy shuffle did things to my developing brain, and I’d be doing a pretty good impression of the Tasmanian Devil cartoon, tumbling about the room for the whole four minutes of the tune. Steely Dan grew quite a bit and in different ways after this debut album, but it still set the path for them to combine elements of rock and jazz and R&B, and rule the Yacht Rock era for the next decade (June 2020).

The Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd)

The Dark Side of the Moon
Pink Floyd (1972)

Top Tracks: “Time”, “The Great Gig in the Sky”, “Brain Damage/Eclipse”

It’s one of the best known and beloved albums in history. Am I going to say anything you haven’t heard already? Like many, I spent a ton of time in my bedroom as a teenager with this on my headphones and a bong close at hand. It’s woven into the fabric of our culture; it’s spent a total of 950 weeks on the Billboard charts, and is the fourth best selling album of all time. I still find new little things about it here and there on occasional listens (June 2020).