big_greg got it right. The level of engineering put into Can't Buy A Thrill was nowhere near the level that was put into later releases from Steely Dan. No matter the copy, it can only sound to a certain (limited) level of quality. It's still good and certainly listenable, just not great. The music is certainly great, though.
My copy of Gaucho sounds great. My copy of Aja by MFSL is much better than my original copy. The original is a bit dull, but still good. The MFSL is one of their better issues (not a smiley curve) and sounds wonderful. I was fortunate to find the MFSL copy last year, in NM condition, for $90 (the lowest price I could find). I really didn't want to pay $90 but knew that at a later date I would regret passing on it...so I made the purchase. And I am really glad that I did. In fact, I'm going to listen to it later today. Yeah, good idea!
