The Royal Scam [Original recording remastered]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Ever the primary conceit of mainstays Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, 1976's The Royal Scam marks the first time the Steely Dan duo actually owned up to the fact. Musically, it's their edgiest, most guitar-driven record (thanks to Becker and a murderer's row of session greats that includes Larry Carlton, Elliot Randall, Dean Parks, and Denny Dias). Lyrically, the songs cut an ever-sardonic, presciently discomforting slice of modern life that was a couple decades ahead of the game (who else was extolling the virtues of condom-couture, à la "The Fez," mid-Me Decade?). Though it didn't garner the radio attention of Aja, its more jazz-suffused, multiplatinum follow-up, Scam boasts a diverse, occasionally muscular musical rhetoric and some of the Dan's most telling portraits (the deranged, yet all-too-familiar killer of "Don't Take Me Alive," "Kid Charlemagne"'s drug-culture celebrity, the tropical convenience of a "Haitian Divorce"). Small wonder many Dan fans consider it their best. --Jerry McCulley

The Royal Scam, Music, Steely Dan, Pop, Rock, Rock/Pop
The Royal Scam
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Order has not arrived as yet
  • One of the bests
  • the last, and best, of early Dan
  • My Fave Dan
  • Steely Dan I Miss You
 The Royal Scam
Steely Dan
Manufacturer: Mca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
Soft RockSoft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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Similar Items:
  1. Katy Lied
  2. Pretzel Logic
  3. Countdown To Ecstasy
  4. Can't Buy A Thrill
  5. Aja

ASIN: B00003002D
Release Date: 1999-11-23

Tracks:

  1. Kid Charlemagne
  2. The Caves Of Altamira
  3. Don't Take Me Alive
  4. Sign In Stranger
  5. The Fez
  6. Green Earrings
  7. Haitian Divorce
  8. Everything You Did
  9. The Royal Scam

Amazon.com

Ever the primary conceit of mainstays Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, 1976's The Royal Scam marks the first time the Steely Dan duo actually owned up to the fact. Musically, it's their edgiest, most guitar-driven record (thanks to Becker and a murderer's row of session greats that includes Larry Carlton, Elliot Randall, Dean Parks, and Denny Dias). Lyrically, the songs cut an ever-sardonic, presciently discomforting slice of modern life that was a couple decades ahead of the game (who else was extolling the virtues of condom-couture, à la "The Fez," mid-Me Decade?). Though it didn't garner the radio attention of Aja, its more jazz-suffused, multiplatinum follow-up, Scam boasts a diverse, occasionally muscular musical rhetoric and some of the Dan's most telling portraits (the deranged, yet all-too-familiar killer of "Don't Take Me Alive," "Kid Charlemagne"'s drug-culture celebrity, the tropical convenience of a "Haitian Divorce"). Small wonder many Dan fans consider it their best. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Order has not arrived as yet.......2007-06-03

Dear Amazon,

As a first time user to your company , its hard to reveiw it when your products have yet not arrived in the Est time you posted,But I have not given up.As per a e-mail sent last week to Amazon I was told to wait unti June 6th to see if they arrived.When this happens as per my cart I will place my next order.The reason for using your company was a Sydney radio person John Stanley Radio 2UE who gave you people big Wraps,But I will wait and see what happens this week if they arrive.


Regards,

Owen Turner
Sydney, Australia

5 out of 5 stars One of the bests.......2007-05-31

This is a really great album, one of the best Steely Dan has recorded, sounds actual and the songs are great.

5 out of 5 stars the last, and best, of early Dan.......2007-05-16

Royal Scam is the last in the Dan's early period, and is the tightest and best of the lot, although the early ones certainly have their charms. the latter dan includes gaucho, aja, 2 against nature and everything must go. the earlier 5 albums have more traditional song forms, and use a more random collection of studio cats. some do like the earlier albums for that reason. in any case, this one is a great bridge between the 2 eras and an amazing album.

5 out of 5 stars My Fave Dan.......2007-01-19

Excellent production, as well as performances. the songs are a tapestry of jazzy arrangements, chord structures steeped in heavy theory yet radio friendly as '70's AOR formats bore this out. TONS here for guitar freaks like myself. Be sure to purchase the re-mastered version. Solid buy.

5 out of 5 stars Steely Dan I Miss You.......2007-01-13

After I realized that my cd and ipod collection was missing some very important music....Steely Dan, I ordered this cd and it helped to fill the void. I also highly recommend Pretzel Logic.
The Royal Scam
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Order has not arrived as yet
  • One of the bests
  • the last, and best, of early Dan
  • My Fave Dan
  • Steely Dan I Miss You
 The Royal Scam
Steely Dan
Manufacturer: Mca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
Soft RockSoft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
CDs $7 - $10CDs $7 - $10 | Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Oldies | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Katy Lied
  2. Pretzel Logic
  3. Countdown To Ecstasy
  4. Can't Buy A Thrill
  5. Aja

ASIN: B000002PD8
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

  1. Kid Charlemagne
  2. The Caves Of Altamira
  3. Don't Take Me Alive
  4. Sign In Stranger
  5. The Fez
  6. Green Earrings
  7. Haitian Divorce
  8. Everything You Did
  9. The Royal Scam

Amazon.com

Outlaw drug designers, neolithic painters, homicidal maniacs, false prophets, libidinous divorcées: a glance at the characters confirms it's another tour through the modern wasteland conceived and vividly realized by Steely Dan. By 1975, the group was distilled to songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, abetted by producer Gary Katz and engineer Roger Nichols who focused solely on studio recordings with a shifting repertory of the best musicians they could find. The Royal Scam, their fifth album, reels smartly from the Owsley-like antihero of "Kid Charlemagne" to the cornered psychopath of "Don't Take Me Alive," dissects the American nightmare from the immigrant's marginalized perspective on the title song, and captures the most leering guitar solo in history on "Haitian Divorce." As always, the chaos is harnessed in seductive melodies, shimmering harmonies, and indelible vocals from Fagen, decorated with stellar work from the A-team players. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Order has not arrived as yet.......2007-06-03

Dear Amazon,

As a first time user to your company , its hard to reveiw it when your products have yet not arrived in the Est time you posted,But I have not given up.As per a e-mail sent last week to Amazon I was told to wait unti June 6th to see if they arrived.When this happens as per my cart I will place my next order.The reason for using your company was a Sydney radio person John Stanley Radio 2UE who gave you people big Wraps,But I will wait and see what happens this week if they arrive.


Regards,

Owen Turner
Sydney, Australia

5 out of 5 stars One of the bests.......2007-05-31

This is a really great album, one of the best Steely Dan has recorded, sounds actual and the songs are great.

5 out of 5 stars the last, and best, of early Dan.......2007-05-16

Royal Scam is the last in the Dan's early period, and is the tightest and best of the lot, although the early ones certainly have their charms. the latter dan includes gaucho, aja, 2 against nature and everything must go. the earlier 5 albums have more traditional song forms, and use a more random collection of studio cats. some do like the earlier albums for that reason. in any case, this one is a great bridge between the 2 eras and an amazing album.

5 out of 5 stars My Fave Dan.......2007-01-19

Excellent production, as well as performances. the songs are a tapestry of jazzy arrangements, chord structures steeped in heavy theory yet radio friendly as '70's AOR formats bore this out. TONS here for guitar freaks like myself. Be sure to purchase the re-mastered version. Solid buy.

5 out of 5 stars Steely Dan I Miss You.......2007-01-13

After I realized that my cd and ipod collection was missing some very important music....Steely Dan, I ordered this cd and it helped to fill the void. I also highly recommend Pretzel Logic.
The Royal Scam
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The apex of SD's Jazz/Rock fusion sound!
  • Building upon the Brilliance of "Katy Lied" but Too bad about the Sound!
 The Royal Scam
Steely Dan
Manufacturer: Mca Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
Soft RockSoft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Classic RockClassic Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
RockRock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Pretzel Logic
  2. Katy Lied
  3. Countdown to Ecstasy
  4. Can't Buy a Thrill
  5. Aja

ASIN: B00004S8BF
Release Date: 2000-07-11

Tracks:

  1. Kid Charlemagne
  2. Caves of Altamira
  3. Don't Take Me Alive
  4. Sign in Stranger
  5. Fez
  6. Green Earrings
  7. Haitian Divorce
  8. Everything You Did
  9. Royal Scam

Album Description

Limirted edition Japanese reissue of the 1976 album. Featuring the original artwork reproduced in a miniature LP sleeve.2000 release.

Album Details

Japanese Version featuring an LP Style Slipcase for Initial Pressing. Digitally Remastered

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The apex of SD's Jazz/Rock fusion sound!.......2007-05-12

So this was the album where Donald and Walter really peaked when it came to that blend of jazz and rock. That does not detract from previous or later offerings, it is just to say that this was the highpoint of the jazz/rock sound before they went more jazz/blues and after they were jazz/rock.

The Royal Scam contains some of the greatest unknown songs (by that I mean the morons at the label and the radio stations don't give it airplay). By far the greatest collection of songs you are not likely to hear on the radio. To be quite honest, I don't think one of these songs was released as a single and I cannot figure why. Each song is crafted in the same Fagen, Becker style with jabbing lyrics and punchy tunes that take aim at anyone that happens to step in the crosshairs of their sarcastic canon. This is probably SD's most heavily guitar favored album.

We begin with Kid Charlemagne, a bizzare and intriguing worship/denial of a drug maker who's life is going down the tubes as his customers slowly disappear, the music is pure SD; Caves of Altamira, about a cave in Spain with outrageous carvings from the paleolithic era, and a boy who would rather spend time with the drawings than with real people; Don't Take Me Alive is truly strange tune about a guy that would rather die than go back to face the father he stole from, but again, the music is awesome; Sign in Stranger is, again, pure cynicism about how to disappear when you have taken the path that leads to prison; The Fez (almost proof of how far ahead SD was, at least figuratively) is a safe sex song, get it, a fez, a hat, a condom?; Green Earrings, Haitian Divorce and Everything You Did are about as standard as you can get if you are looking for pure SD, with HD and EYD being cynicism and sarcasm at their finest; the title track, the Royal Scam really caps off (in my ever so honest and humble opinion) SD's most lyrically dark album, a song about foreigners coming to the states in search of the American Dream and finding something quite different.

Anyway, reviews aside, you really just can't go wrong with SD and like I have said on my other SD album reviews, IF IT IS STEELY DAN, BUY IT. PERIOD.

So, What are you waiting for? This bunch of negative jerks isn't going to ask you any favors.

A GREAT, ALBEIT SLIGHTLY DEPRESSING IN A HAPPY SORT OF NONSENSICAL WAY, ALBUM. Know what I mean? Me either, I think I'll just go listen to the album again.

4 out of 5 stars Building upon the Brilliance of "Katy Lied" but Too bad about the Sound!.......2006-10-22

Did Steely Dan ever really release a bad album? Although each album had its own little idiosyncracy and in this case, the fifth effort, we get like in their previous effort a little more quality guitar playing in the guise of non other than the great Larry Carlton, Eliot Randall, Dean Parks, all legends in the session guitaring world at the time and even now. Where the debut album had that brilliant guitar track "Reelin' In the Years" and the second album had the excellent guitar playing on the opening track "Bodhisattva", we get more great guitar playing here especially on "Kid Charlemagne", "Green Earings" and "Haitian Divorce" with exceptional wah wah pedal work here as well. While not quite up to the standard of a "Katy Lied", this is still a very good Dan album.

Why the 4 stars you may ask? Well it's nothing to do with the quality of the content with regards the brilliant songwriting and musicianship but although the mini-lp sleeve replica is very well done and includes the lyrics of all the tracks in both English and Japanese with typically humorous liner notes written in 1999 by Fagen and Becker themselves, the disc isn't remastered and so the volume levels and overall clarity of the disc is not exactly what you'd expect given the high quality sound engineering technology that is currently out there.

The good thing is that the original production quality of which the Dan has always been renowned for as being close to perfection means that the sound quality is still quite good. Still, it would have been nice given the high price of this version of the album if the powers that be had invested in a remastering from the best possible masters in the vault.

If the slightly less than optimal un-remastered sound and the expensive price doesn't deter you, this comes recommended.
The Royal Scam
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Order has not arrived as yet
  • One of the bests
  • the last, and best, of early Dan
  • My Fave Dan
  • Steely Dan I Miss You
 The Royal Scam
Steely Dan
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
Soft RockSoft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Katy Lied
  2. Pretzel Logic
  3. Countdown To Ecstasy
  4. Can't Buy A Thrill
  5. Aja

ASIN: B0000259EY
Release Date: 1999-01-01

Tracks:

  1. Kid Charlemagne
  2. Caves of Altamira
  3. Don't Take Me Alive
  4. Sign in Stranger
  5. Fez
  6. Green Earrings
  7. Haitian Divorce
  8. Everything You Did
  9. Royal Scam

Amazon.com

Outlaw drug designers, neolithic painters, homicidal maniacs, false prophets, libidinous divorcées: a glance at the characters confirms it's another tour through the modern wasteland conceived and vividly realized by Steely Dan. By 1975, the group was distilled to songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, abetted by producer Gary Katz and engineer Roger Nichols who focused solely on studio recordings with a shifting repertory of the best musicians they could find. The Royal Scam, their fifth album, reels smartly from the Owsley-like antihero of "Kid Charlemagne" to the cornered psychopath of "Don't Take Me Alive," dissects the American nightmare from the immigrant's marginalized perspective on the title song, and captures the most leering guitar solo in history on "Haitian Divorce." As always, the chaos is harnessed in seductive melodies, shimmering harmonies, and indelible vocals from Fagen, decorated with stellar work from the A-team players. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Order has not arrived as yet.......2007-06-03

Dear Amazon,

As a first time user to your company , its hard to reveiw it when your products have yet not arrived in the Est time you posted,But I have not given up.As per a e-mail sent last week to Amazon I was told to wait unti June 6th to see if they arrived.When this happens as per my cart I will place my next order.The reason for using your company was a Sydney radio person John Stanley Radio 2UE who gave you people big Wraps,But I will wait and see what happens this week if they arrive.


Regards,

Owen Turner
Sydney, Australia

5 out of 5 stars One of the bests.......2007-05-31

This is a really great album, one of the best Steely Dan has recorded, sounds actual and the songs are great.

5 out of 5 stars the last, and best, of early Dan.......2007-05-16

Royal Scam is the last in the Dan's early period, and is the tightest and best of the lot, although the early ones certainly have their charms. the latter dan includes gaucho, aja, 2 against nature and everything must go. the earlier 5 albums have more traditional song forms, and use a more random collection of studio cats. some do like the earlier albums for that reason. in any case, this one is a great bridge between the 2 eras and an amazing album.

5 out of 5 stars My Fave Dan.......2007-01-19

Excellent production, as well as performances. the songs are a tapestry of jazzy arrangements, chord structures steeped in heavy theory yet radio friendly as '70's AOR formats bore this out. TONS here for guitar freaks like myself. Be sure to purchase the re-mastered version. Solid buy.

5 out of 5 stars Steely Dan I Miss You.......2007-01-13

After I realized that my cd and ipod collection was missing some very important music....Steely Dan, I ordered this cd and it helped to fill the void. I also highly recommend Pretzel Logic.
Royal Scam
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Royal Scam

    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B000H5TY2S
    Release Date: 2006-10-03
    Can't Buy a Thrill/Pretzel Logic/The Royal Scam
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Can't Buy a Thrill/Pretzel Logic/The Royal Scam
      Steely Dan
      Manufacturer: Umvd Import
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
      Soft RockSoft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
      Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
      Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Pop | Box Sets | Stores | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Rock | Box Sets | Stores | Music
      RockRock | Imports | Stores | Music
      ASIN: B000050W0A
      Release Date: 2005-12-06

      Tracks:

      1. Do It Again
      2. Dirty Work
      3. Kings
      4. Midnight Cruiser
      5. Only a Fool Would Say That
      6. Reelin' the Years
      7. Fire in the Hole
      8. Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)
      9. Change of the Guard
      10. Turn That Heartbeat Over Again

      Tracks:

      1. Rikki Don't Lose That Number
      2. Night by Night
      3. Any Major Dude Will Tell You
      4. Barrytown
      5. East St. Louis Toodle-Oo
      6. Parker's Band
      7. Through with Buzz
      8. Pretzel Logic
      9. With a Gun
      10. Charlie Freak
      11. Monkey in Your Soul

      Tracks:

      1. Kid Charlemagne
      2. Caves of Altamira
      3. Don't Take Me Alive
      4. Sign in Stranger
      5. Fez
      6. Green Earrings
      7. Haitian Divorce
      8. Everything You Did
      9. Royal Scam

      Album Details

      All Albums Packaged in Separate Jewel Cases with Original Artwork.
      The Royal Scam
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		The Royal Scam
        Steely Dan
        Manufacturer: Universal/Mca
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
        Soft RockSoft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
        Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
        Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
        Classic RockClassic Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
        ASIN: B00005I3NB

        Tracks:

        1. Kid Charlemagne
        2. Caves of Altamira
        3. Don't Take Me Alive
        4. Sign in Stranger
        5. Fez
        6. Green Earrings
        7. Haitian Divorce
        8. Everything You Did
        9. Royal Scam
        The Royal Scam
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • The apex of SD's Jazz/Rock fusion sound!
        		 The Royal Scam
        Steely Dan
        Manufacturer: Universal
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
        Soft RockSoft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
        Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
        Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
        Classic RockClassic Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
        ASIN: B00005HMFB
        Release Date: 2002-10-14

        Tracks:

        1. Kid Charlemagne
        2. Caves of Altamira
        3. Don't Take Me Alive
        4. Sign in Stranger
        5. Fez
        6. Green Earrings
        7. Haitian Divorce
        8. Everything You Did
        9. Royal Scam

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars The apex of SD's Jazz/Rock fusion sound!.......2007-05-12

        So this was the album where Donald and Walter really peaked when it came to that blend of jazz and rock. That does not detract from previous or later offerings, it is just to say that this was the highpoint of the jazz/rock sound before they went more jazz/blues and after they were jazz/rock.

        The Royal Scam contains some of the greatest unknown songs (by that I mean the morons at the label and the radio stations don't give it airplay). By far the greatest collection of songs you are not likely to hear on the radio. To be quite honest, I don't think one of these songs was released as a single and I cannot figure why. Each song is crafted in the same Fagen, Becker style with jabbing lyrics and punchy tunes that take aim at anyone that happens to step in the crosshairs of their sarcastic canon. This is probably SD's most heavily guitar favored album.

        We begin with Kid Charlemagne, a bizzare and intriguing worship/denial of a drug maker who's life is going down the tubes as his customers slowly disappear, the music is pure SD; Caves of Altamira, about a cave in Spain with outrageous carvings from the paleolithic era, and a boy who would rather spend time with the drawings than with real people; Don't Take Me Alive is truly strange tune about a guy that would rather die than go back to face the father he stole from, but again, the music is awesome; Sign in Stranger is, again, pure cynicism about how to disappear when you have taken the path that leads to prison; The Fez (almost proof of how far ahead SD was, at least figuratively) is a safe sex song, get it, a fez, a hat, a condom?; Green Earrings, Haitian Divorce and Everything You Did are about as standard as you can get if you are looking for pure SD, with HD and EYD being cynicism and sarcasm at their finest; the title track, the Royal Scam really caps off (in my ever so honest and humble opinion) SD's most lyrically dark album, a song about foreigners coming to the states in search of the American Dream and finding something quite different.

        Anyway, reviews aside, you really just can't go wrong with SD and like I have said on my other SD album reviews, IF IT IS STEELY DAN, BUY IT. PERIOD.

        So, What are you waiting for? This bunch of negative jerks isn't going to ask you any favors.

        A GREAT, ALBEIT SLIGHTLY DEPRESSING IN A HAPPY SORT OF NONSENSICAL WAY, ALBUM. Know what I mean? Me either, I think I'll just go listen to the album again.

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