Compatible with all MP3 players including iPod, iPad, iTunes and Window Media Player
Digitally remastered by Roger Nichols (Digital Atomics, Miami, Florida).
It was the year of America's bicentennial celebration, but on 1976's THE ROYAL SCAM, Steely Dan masterminds Fagen and Becker did not share in the exultant spirit of the times. The title track--a vision of fallen America from the point of view of immigrants--has a mock-celebratory chorus: "See the glory of the Royal Scam," which typifies SCAM's heartfelt cynicism. In their next two releases (their last), Steely Dan's sound would smoothen and incorporate less rock. This is perhaps their darkest record, and for a band known for its arch mixture of L.A. cool and ennui, that's saying something.
Guitar heroes were roundly worshipped in the '70s, and two of the record's standout tracks, "Kid Charlemagne" and "Don't Take Me Alive," feature incendiary axe work by Larry Carlton. Interestingly, both glorify outsiders: The former tells the story of legendary drug chemist Owsley Stanley, and the latter is a first-person account of a murderer on the lam. Other highlights: the crisp "Green Earrings" the lounge-chair funk of "Haitian Divorce" and the inscrutable "Fez," whose principal lyric is "I'm never gonna do it without the fez on/don't make me do it without the fez on."
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Recorded at ABC Studios, Los Angeles, California and A&R Studios, New York, New York. Includes liner notes by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen.
Steely Dan: Donald Fagen (vocals, keyboards); Walter Becker (guitar, bass).
Additional personnel: Larry Carlton, Elliot Randall, Dean Parks, Dennis Dias (guitar); Chuck Findley, Bob Findley, Slyde Hyde, Jim Horn, Plas Johnson, John Klemmer (horns); Victor Feldman (keyboards, percussion); Paul Griffin, Don Grolnick (keyboards); Chuck Rainey (bass); Bernard Purdie, Rick Marotta (drums); Gary Coleman (percussion); Venetta Fields, Clydie KIng, Sherlie Matthews, Tim Schmit, Michael McDonald (background vocals).
Rolling Stone (p.101) - 5 stars out of 5 - "Fagen and Becker assembled a talent pool composed primarily of jazz specialists who showed they could rock and swing all at once when so inspired." Q (6/00, p.131) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Sleek, smart, deliciously cynical....Sounding like a million dollars and crammed with the low-life tales...[it] instantly raised the standard for sophisticated quirkiness..."
GREAT PIECE OF EXCELLENCE the previous review says it all. one thing i would like to add is the great guitar work by larry carlton and others.and also is the fact that this first came out in 1976!! the production is first-rate.as always great lyrics from fagen and becker but also great horns as well.this album SMOKES!!!! Submitted by cobrafunk (OKC.OK) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
great great cd a must for all steely dan fans. Submitted by jmmrz (lancaster,ny) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
"So Good To Be "Scammed"' Every fantastic story posing as a song in this album, showcases losers and rogues; yet the musicianship is, absolutely, as good as Fagen/Becker and company, could and have, possibly produced! The guitar work alone is a tutorial on nearly every song (the wow-wow solo on 'Haitian Divorce' is so chilling and legendary, it alone is worth the cost of the disc!). After 30 years, I'm still getting 'scammed' by this masterpiece: pathetic artistry- losing in style..."Ya Gotta Luv The 'Dan!" Submitted by St.Dvy (Windham, Me.) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Masterpiece doesn't even describe this cd One of the many great things about Steely Dan is their ability to write catchy melodies and riffs while Becker and Fagen's lyrics (on the Royals Scam) reveal characters who are murderers, thieves, or even a jilted lover who wants details. The album reveals more and more with each listen. No doubt that Becker and Fagen are musical geniuses and this is one of many examples. Submitted by John (Wilmington, NC) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Dark, Sophisticated and Fabulous The album cover gives one a glimpse of what to expect inside. A down-and-out guy, catching a few winks on a concrete bench amid the mean and menacing skyscrapers, in a dark and nightmarish setting somewhere in urban America. The music is pure Steely Dan, complex and catchy, with excellent guitar and keyboard work, impeccable drumming, and cynical lyrics. I consider this to be their best effort since Countdown to Ecstacy. Kid Charlemange is incredible musically, with biting lyrics (son you were mistaken, you are obselete), with a sense of social introspection and moral dismissal. The Fez is nothing but smooth and poppin, while the title cut is dark and brooding, portraying a biting sense of "importance" with its structural arrangement and beat. I could never get enough of Steely Dan and still consider them to exist in an alternate universe of hip, urban perfection that leaves just about everybody else in the dust. The Royal Scam has enough good music on it to hold one's interest through numerous playings, often haunting the listener for hours and even days after playing some of the cuts. This album is definately not as commercial as Pretzil Logic, Katie Lied or Aja. It immerses the listener into a nether world of human darkness with the lyrics but soars and delights with the happening musical prowse of the gifted contributors to the project. Submitted by sirjack10 (Atlanta, GA, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
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